Code Lyoko: Revolutions & Evolutions
by Pagliacci-11
Summary: The computer has been shut down. The team has now begun the countdown to high-school with next year being their sophomore year. Not all is as cut and dry as simply moving up a grade as a new force begins to show itself, not XANA but a force that is equally familiar and alien. Rated M for violence, sexual scenarios, and language.
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: My first-fanfic on this site, so have it a read and see what you think. I hope you enjoy it.-Pagliacci-11 **_

Chapter 1

It was different. So much had happened in the time since it had all started. So very much in terms of the struggle which they had come to call their own. The battle between good and evil, the insane crunch of repeating events so often, again and again. They had seen much change within them, and yet, in a bizarre way, around them, the world was relatively the same. The world would never know them for who they were. They were the ones who had saved the world countless times every other day it seemed of every year for just how long not even they were sure.

All that was known now was that their time as the protectors had officially ended. The being known as XANA was gone now, gone forever. It was such a wonderful feeling. It was a blend of both beautiful and yet sad. So much had been done and completed, so many wonderful schemes had they thwarted and foiled. Schemes that verged on the realm of mystification and terror. Those missions that were so close to the wire that they couldn't believe how close the calls truly were. It seemed yesterday that they had fought the gargantuan teddy-bear possessed by their then-new foe. It seemed equally so close that they had all manner of danger in the realm of what was just supposed to be a bunch of ordinary classes at an ordinary junior high.

Now that time was over; it was indeed at an end. All the close calls, the returns to the past which had been a mixed blessing if all were honest, but so much good was done, but the thing is that none would be known for it, and yet, they were okay with that. To say they'd not miss the adrenaline pumping elements of fighting one of the worlds most evil aspects of AI gone awry, that'd be a massive lie. The computer was now powered down, the factory had served its purpose, and now they had left the lift for the very last time.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Ulrich asked as they all walked home, "Now it's just back to same-old, same-old."

"Yeah but you gotta' remember, Ulrich, we had a great time." Odd replied with a smile, "We stopped a whole bunch of awful stuff from happening in all reality. You know killer music, demented AI possessed boars, dopple-gangers only half as handsome as the original models, come on, we made a lot of great progress."

"Yeah, it only sucks that this is truly the end." Yumi said with a half-smile, "No doubt we had some amazing and indeed some awesome times, but it's over, man I hate that I won't be able to have a vent now for dealing with Sissi."

The group groaned as Jeremy replied, "Alas, one of the most magnificent things about return to the past, it served as a temporal earplug."

"What are you talking about, Einstein," Ulrich replied, "We had to deal with her twice sometimes three times in a row in a day, the same situation. Temporal Earplug my ass."

"Hey, I think of it a lot like ear-infection medication," Jeremy continued, "Every return gave us a bit more until we could negate her inane blather almost completely."

"In Ulrich's defense, Jeremy, he is right," Aelita replied, "I mean seriously I understand the whole medication element. But did we have to take the same dose three times?"

Everyone laughed a bit, as it helped to bolster them for what was to come. Was it sad that the world had to go on in its monotony as usual? Sure, but at the same time, it was a wonderful feeling, to be free of a threat they knew would have conquered the world if left unchecked.

Deep in Jeremy's mind, the concept that XANA could be used for good was possible, but he knew, this was an AI that just was too advanced and saw no use for people and instead worked on various elements to eradicate people. Admittedly he was a bit sad on this element that he knew AI could evolve to such a degree and even develop such a mindset. He knew it was not at all outside the realm of probability as the more enlightened he became. Even though he went off the deep end with Hopper's notes to expand his cranial capacity, Jeremy had to rationalize that he was just an average person. He thought all of this as he continued to walk in silence alongside the group back towards Kadic.

Aelita was in the form of different thought; she surrendered that she had to leave her past entirely behind. She didn't like the idea as it was for a large portion of her life, most of what she had come to know as the familiar. She wouldn't dare deny that she didn't have a bit of sadness, especially after her father's sacrifice, to see the seal of Lyoko close shut over the super-computer. She knew the danger of XANA had well passed, but still, she was uneasy. Of just what she couldn't be sure. Was it letting go, was that it? Or was it that she was no longer in a realm in which she felt safe compared to the rest of the world? Either way she remembered it was sounding more and more selfish as she thought about it. How far she'd come. Her materialization, and her understanding of the world she originally came from. It was strange, of course. But this place she had indeed come to call home.

Ulrich was contented, however, to think years from now, he'd think back on this very moment. Walking away from a wonderful time, a tremendous element of combined terror and doubt had fueled the team to grow stronger, but stronger together. He would also admit it was not easy. Not at all. As much as they all knew each other, it was coming to terms with the ebb and flow of each other's strengths and weaknesses. They all were great warriors, he knew. But they were great in their way.

Odd had his release from the world of social obligation; he didn't give a damn and lived life heartily. Jeremy was the seeming literal Einstein, a masterful mind of computation and time-management. His body was weak and not at all warrior material, but Ulrich more than understood his mind was the most significant asset Jeremy possessed, was he an egotist, an overly complicated speaker at times? Sure. But he honestly did care. Jeremy did have a form of love that was unique in his way. Then Aelita who served as the balance of intellectual and practical. She was strong and levelheaded, serving as translator for Jeremy's techno-lingo. That said, he knew Aelita struggled to adapt at times to Earth once more, but he had a love for Aelita. Aelita was someone that had grown to be as a younger sister to Ulrich. Was she smarter than he or even Jeremy? Of course. However, as with Jeremy the mighty mind needs a potent pair of fists to defend it.

Then there was Yumi. Yumi who in many ways to Ulrich served as the bulwark of common sense. She served as a good portion of the anchor, and she kept order and focus, first and foremost. She was a beautiful person; the workings of her mind began to show itself as she was just as passionate about protecting the earth from a monstrous AI. It was terrific, as Ulrich reflected on it how this team of intellectuals, free-individuals, and social outcasts united to form a coalition to defeat a darker evil. It was truly amazing.

In contented silence, the group walked on their path towards Kadic. Tomorrow was another day, a day without the thrill, both of combat or being discovered, a day without a dark force looming overhead threatening to disrupt the lives of countless people. No, tomorrow as just a day of geometry tests, a life-science exam, and Jim's annual summer fitness exam. It was…normal. It was for the first time in a long time, well and truly reasonable.

"Hey," Ulrich said, "Let's go get some soda, and toast our victory."

The group was unanimously in agreement and headed to one of the smaller eateries near the school and ordered their sodas and for a special celebration, as this was, they ordered their favorite meals from the money that they had saved for just such an event. They all indulged in a beautiful meal of soda, choicest cut steaks, stuffed baked potatoes, and asparagus. It was a truly wonderful time, it was above all, freeing.

"Ah, the champagne of victory." Odd said as he had his soda finished, "I tell you guys, these past few years have been a blast, but it'll be different soon, you know. In a year we'll be transferring to Mercier School and possibly Aulamerta Academy for actual high-school."

"Yeah, that's true, but we still have our traditional connections, Odd," Jeremy said, "We'll not fall out of touch we'll be very much as we are now."

The group nodded in agreement while Odd was silent. Despite what Jeremy said, Odd knew that that promise that they made, was not going to be likely. It was going to be a new ball-game. The Lyoko element had kept them all together. However, that was no longer there. Odd knew, above all that the group would break off into segments, only in Lyoko did he feel they had unity.

Odd remembered a family reunion he had recently. That his cousin, Eustace has talked to him about High School and as Eustace related his tales, Odd personally was dreading it, for it was as he suspected, a nightmare, pure and simple. Eustace told him how everything was different, that loyalty truly meant nothing in high-school, not near as much as it was cracked up to be. It was a landscape where commitment is very easily bought and where integrity to honesty and honor is as far as east was from west and that when hormones kicked in, as Odd knew they were starting to, it would be a different world altogether.

But now, as much as he was thinking about that, he would not bring down the festivity that was happening. He smiled and said, "I'm sure you're right, Einstein, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

"Wow, Odd overthinking? Get the papers!" Ulrich said with a smile.

"Hey, it's been known to happen!" Odd replied.

They all burst out laughing, and they continued in their festivities. Meanwhile a shadow watched them through the café's front window. It then headed back the way they had come from. Speedily the entity moved, and in no time, it was in front of the lift. It pressed a button, and it opened. The figure pushed the button and lift began to descend.

The figure spoke, "They are at their celebration as you have said. What now."

A soft voice was on the other side, "_Just as we have practiced, my dear friend. Down you go and enter the main computer modulus, and from there, I will direct you." _

"Understood, and you are very certain of this, are you? I mean, the correlation?"

"_I'm quite certain, as soon as I am inside the system I will look at all backlogs and calibrate our efforts from back home into their computer." _The voice replied, "_Trust me, this is no different from the many times we have done this." _"

"Okay, well, in just a moment I'll be there." The figure replied.

The lift door opened, and the figure came into the computer module. He looked around at the freshly used computer terminal, and sat at the computer and referencing the code that had been tattooed on his arm in small numbers he entered it, and the network activated.

"Okay, we're in." the figured replied, "Now what?"

"_Now just plug in the USB drive I gave you, and I'll take care of the rest." _the voice replied.

The figure placed the USB into one of the ports and noticed that everything started to turn cyan in terms of lighting and the voice on the other end of the communications was processing everything.

"_Okay, and I'm in, let me see here. Our heroes as we anticipated and they made great progress defeating XANAby all accounts, a very hard-fought battle. Hopper has been terminated, so that is another obstacle accounted for, and now, here we stand. Give me a moment, and the server will be live in 4…3…2….1." _

The Lyoko seal opened, and the server erected itself in its stacked organization, and instead of the traditional glow it too turned cyan. There was all manner of beeping and the figure watched as the keyboard in front of him began to type itself. The system was a lot smoother than he had anticipated.

"Not quite what we were expecting, huh?" he asked.

To his surprise, the response came from within the super-computer, "_Not quite, indeed. It is far better than I could have ever hoped for. It is largely clean of all outside and native interference. Perfect for what I am about to do. Now, you have your node, jack it into your chest and then connect to me." _

Before doing so, he asked, "And the Mantle?"

"_On your head as is the traditional method we do this." _

The figure placed a small helmet on his head and then put a cord end into his chest and then jacked into the USB port.

"_Very good," _the voice replied, "_now, all you need do is relax, as we have done several times before and you may feel a slight prick in your flesh but after that, you will be one with me." _

He took a deep breath, "I'm ready, whenever you want, launch the operation."

"_Very well, I appreciate all that you have done for me during this time, I know it is not easy, all these jumps, but we're so close to our goal. I thank you again, for all that you have done." _

"It's been an honor to serve, you and I look forward to continuing our work together." He said.

"_I know you do, my sweet soldier. Now plug in the schematics, the white USB, and we'll begin." _

The figure reached into his bag, and he took out a white USB Jump Drive and plugged it in.

"_Excellent, now take a deep breath and clench your fist." _The voice replied.

The figure did so, and the voice said, "_You will feel cold wash over you and then you will be asleep in 4…3..2…"_

The cold washed inwardly over the man, and he fell asleep. The operator now within the machine began the download of all information he would need into his mind and set the release into increments so as not to overwhelm him. The operator also programmed various elements of combat sub-routines into his body again, set to increments. Then the Lyoko hard-drives were scanned and stored.

After this was finished, the man awoke with a gasp, "Is everything okay is it a success?"

The voice replied now directly in his head, "_The operation is complete, all is scanned and stored. Commence the system shutdown and get all articles and put them back into your bag."_

He followed the order and said, "No offense, but it is always weird having you uploaded into my head. I'm not complaining; it's just…"

"_I know, it's strange, it was strange for me, my first time, as well. Now, please, let's continue and get out of here. The computer sent a silent alarm; you have ten minutes before the team gets back here, please move quickly."_

The man moved quickly and efficiently, collecting and getting every trace of him away even wiping the USB data history. He entered the lift and headed up. He had six minutes left. The lift door opened, and he bolted out. He made in time back to the main road. He was looking all around, no one in sight and so he ran steadily to the lower section of the city.

"_What now?" _he thought.

"_I have already ordered a taxi to a hotel room for you; please stay in your current location until it arrives." _The voice of the operator said.

He waited, and in time the company cab came up. He got in and said, "Eagle 5, repeat, Eagle 5."

The door closed shut driver reached back, and the man gave the flash drives to the driver who put them in his pocket. "Where to, sir?"

"Take me to the Arches." He replied.

The cab drove off as the man relaxed; it was a very smooth ride. The man sighed and all the while he thought, "_She has improved the design. Prompt, quick, and he very much looks human, it's amazing." _

"_You and I have made great progress in the past few years." _The voice of the operator said internally,_ "This is the fruit of our labor, and it is also how our operations will gain substantial income over time that is above all, steady. We need not resort to the stick-up methods of the past; we have advanced greatly since then."_

Meanwhile, Jeremy and the rest of the gang had made it down to the supercomputer. Jeremy was looking over everything thoroughly, almost feverishly. He fired up the computer, and it showed no activity.

"Is everything okay, Jeremy?" Yumi asked, "Are you sure it wasn't just a false alarm, you know like, one last fluke in the machine?"

"No, you guys, that's what's so strange, all sectors were active at once, all of them! I don't know how that was possible. Besides the system tower is still warm, whoever was here was only here briefly and left just as quick."

Odd replied, "I'll check the server, maybe the hatch is still warm, we'll see if they just fired up the computer or got to Lyoko and we'll see if it's a fluke or not."

Odd went to the hatch and yelled, "Yeah, it's hot! Whoever got in here, got in here long enough to fire the whole program up!"

Jeremy slammed his fist on the chair's arm, "RATS! FUCKING FUCK!"

The rest of the group looked very concerned. Aelita advanced, "What's wrong, Jeremy?"

Jeremy thought to himself, "_Everything is wrong."_

Yumi asked, "Who other than us has access to the super-computer?"

Ulrich then said, "Do you think it's possible that since Aelita's dad was a former government man while not direct, he knew of their tools and instruments. It's not far-fetched that the government let us do all their dirty work and then waited till' it was resolved to collect results?"

Odd came back and said, "Ulrich don't be ridiculous. That's…"

"He's right!" Jeremy replied, "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

Aelita put her hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, the threat is over. XANAis gone. It's finally out of our hands. If they did get the information, so what? I'm sure they would've attained it anyway as it is a solution one of their major projects. But think about it they don't know how to use it, we do. And it took my father thousands of tries to perfect Lyoko; I don't think agents have either the patience and assuredly not the mental fortitude to stay sane."

Jeremy exhaled, "True. For all his brilliance, your father was near driven mad. However, justyou know what? You're right. It's over. But if ever comes a chance where we need to go to Lyoko again, we need to be ready. I'm going to one last system scan before we officially close shop. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Aelita then pulled up a stool, "I'll stay. I want to be as sure as you."

Odd said, "Agreed, I'll get my sleeping bag, and I'll get Ulrich's as well."

Yumi replied, "I'll get mine from home and get some drinks in case we need them."

Ulrich sat down on the floor, "Just another night saving the world from evil."

They all had a good laugh as the scan was begun. Meanwhile ten streets over the agent was resting in his room as he was looking over his weapons from his last mission, an ARC 1039. It was his favorite weapon, relatively light and one heck of a payload. He knew one thing that science had become more and more of a great friend as he had honed his skills. But now he was tired, very exhausted after the trip that had been completed. He lay back in his cot, and he closed his eyes.

His operator's voice came from his head, "_You did very well, tonight. As a treat, I would like to ask what research program would you like to start first?"_

"_No offense, dear, but I'm quite tired. Tomorrow I'll be heading back to our operation ground and discuss with you there. Until then, I'm just going to rest." _he replied.

"_Of course, in the meantime, I will begin our upload, and by the time you arrive we will be set and ready to save humanity from themselves. We've done it time and time again; we can do it one last time to show how we can be for good."_

"_Of that, my friend, I have no doubt. Are the masks ready?"_

"_Oh, yes. Now we need to recruit to our cause which as soon as you get started, we will spread like wildfire." _

"_Agreed, in the meantime, I'm going to catch some sleep, but there is one research program I was thinking of: Passive Energy Collection. Based on our older work."_

"_A wonderful idea, I'll get started, and you can pick another operation when you get ready to head my way."_

"_Thank you. Have a good night. I know it, sister, we will make this world better. I have faith we will." _The agent replied as he closed his eyes.

_**AN: Please read and review. Thank you! **_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was morning as the scan had finished. Jeremy sighed as he looked at the screen. Nothing was active, and all that remained was the placid sectors free of any activity. All divisions had been activated, but for what? There was no reason even to fire up the server, but it had been done. Jeremy looked around him. Everyone else was sound asleep.

Checking his watch, Jeremy saw that it was 5:30 in the morning. He had gotten sleep, and despite he had been mainly in the chair it was the most restful sleep he'd had in a while. He had this rest because he knew for the first time, he didn't have to worry about XANA however, what was this new element? This new foundation that seemed equally hot on their trail and yet without a trace? He didn't know.

After all that had happened, he was tempted to do just as Aelita had more or less suggested and let things finally be as they are and take its course. But for him this was easier said than done. Jeremy loved the sense of control that the super-computer had given him, the purpose it filled him with. But also the loved the feeling of connection he had with his fellow Lyoko warriors. Jeremy was a genius; he knew this. However, they humanized him, and he loved that the most. Jeremy remembered how he had delved into the ability granted to him by Lyoko.

Even though it was ever so tempting to become far more in intelligence, he knew the dangers now inherent. How close he had become, to losing his humanity to be more machine than a boy. Why? Because the world frankly frightened and disgusted him but more than that, it was because in Lyoko he had worth in himself and not just was he a brain, but he was a coordinator, a leader. And from this, he was able to see what for once he was truly capable of.

For all these reasons and more, Jeremy, of course, lamented shutting down Lyoko's server. But it was now finally off his plate. The burden no matter how much they could improve and better protect the world, this tool even though it had turned the team into a tried and true had its time. Jeremy turned off the server, and the computer was once again sealed. He got up and gently shook Aelita awake.

"Jeremy, what…" she yawned softly, "What was the result?"

"Don't worry, I scanned it in-depth and nothing showed up. So it's been sealed up."

She smiled and got up; then both proceeded to wake up the others gently.

After Jeremy had explained the results, Odd stretched, "Well Einstein, I can see why you'd do this kind of thing, it's a knee-jerk reaction. But can you admit it? You didn't want to see us break?"

Jeremy smiled a half-smile, "Sure, I'd admit that, but I did see something. All the same, Aelita was right. This is over now, and sure it'll be different for us, but now we can return to normalcy."

Yumi bagged the trash of the soda cans and small food wrappers around as she said, "Well, we have to get back to campus, well you guys have to. As for me, I have to get home. Besides, look at the bright side, summer is not that far from us, and I'm sure we'll see more of each other then."

Ulrich shrugged, "She's right I mean a lot of us are going to be going into Freshman year at Kadic anyways and rumor has it we'll get some new teachers. So that will be a blast."

Odd replied, "Not if you have Mrs. Hertz. She still has it out for you." He then went into an impression, "_You'd better straighten up, Ulrich, as your academic performance is irreprehensible!" _

Aelita bust out laughing, "Don't forget, Odd, you are still seen as one of her worst."

Odd replied, "I'm for the beauty of my inside, not my brain unlike you, oh great queen of mathematic equations."

Aelita smiled, "Sue me. I was in a virtual world for the greater latter of my life, it's natural to me, much like your hair mousse is natural to you."

Odd retorted, "I wouldn't sue you. A: I don't believe in enabling lying as an occupation, B: I don't need hair mousse thank you, very much. My hair is so luscious that I can apply water to my hair and style it however I wish. And C: You have no money to take from you if I did sue."

Yumi chuckled, "A: Water only works if you are doing the classic gangster slick-back or comb-over. B: Do you seriously expect us to believe that you can keep your hair on end like that without pomade? And C: you raise a valid point."

Jeremy's cellphone beeped, "Come on guys we better get back to class. We'll see you later, Yumi." Yumi took the bag of trash and headed up while Ulrich and Odd pristinely and tightly rolled up their sleeping bags.

"Well, what's the plan? What's Jim's route?" Ulrich said, and he snapped the top clip of his sleeping bag.

"It's Friday, so he'll be on the traditional route around the grounds going counter-clockwise, and then he'll make a once-over the maintenance shed. It's no different than every other Friday. If we hurry we can get to breakfast ahead of Nicholas because we know that guy eats like a bull these days."

"Sounds good by me. Come on Aelita, Jeremy, let's get going before we're put on lockdown."

The group headed up in the lift, and as they headed back to Kadic, Odd plugged some headphones into his Walkman and cranked up _Insane in the Membrane _by Cypress Hill.

As they jogged along, Ulrich looked at his watch, and he said, "Guys, we'd better hurry dorm inspection is at 6:30 we better get it along."

All of them took heed and bolted down towards the traditional grounds of Kadic. This run was nothing new, but Ulrich knew he and Odd had nearly missed dorm inspection as Jim had gotten somewhat experimental in his times for dorm inspection as of late. He didn't know if this was because of new people coming in that he wanted to show off, but all the same, he knew if they were busted it'd be rough.

Meanwhile in Kadic. Jean-Pierre Delmas was sitting across from a young woman and after he had a small cup of coffee said, "It was after much consideration of your sources and your admittedly distinguished merit, that I fully and humbly welcome you to Kadic Academy, Dr. Schneider. I am glad to have someone who even though as distinguished as yourself has decided to help shape the young minds of our fine establishment."

Dr. Hendricka Schneider stood, and both shook hands, "I am grateful to you, Mons. Delmas for extending this opportunity to me. When may I start?"

"Well," Delmas continued, "We will help set you up in your laboratory first alongside our current Science Teacher Ms. Hertz. You said you would have an assistant to aid you in your classes, and that is fine. Mr. John Barrow. Yes, I have his interview later this afternoon, and I'm sure he will be fine. As for getting started, we will have you start at the beginning of the next academic year when we have officially registered you into our academic plan. Until such time, please make yourself familiar with the campus, and when I speak with Mr. Barrow, we will, of course, arrange for you to have a place either at the faculty dormitory which we have nearly completed or to a residence off campus."

Schneider nodded, "Of course, Monsieur, my friend Mr. Barrow will be of great help to me, but I must caution you, unlike me, he does not live on campus but in his own home closer to the academy should you need him. I assure you, if anything, he is prompt."

"Yes, thank you, Doctor." Delmas gave her a paper, an accompanying packet, "If that is all, this is your key-card and your authorization of the school for your secondary lab. You need only sign and date this to signify you will give an account of your inventory within said lab, and we can begin."

Dr. Schneider signed the paper, and after putting her key-card in her wallet, she followed Delmas through the school grounds to the faculty dormitory on the east end of the property. As they entered it was a very nicely organized affair, he led her up the stairs to Apartment 1A. She entered, and it was very comfortable in terms of layout. The rooms were huge and spread out. Plenty of floor space if she were to have company and plenty of cabinet space for various articles.

She nodded, "This is a very well-furnished place. A nice couch, recliner, a television, a very reliable bathroom, it looks very nice here, indeed."

"Thank you; we worked hard to ensure the quality of life for both student and teacher here." Delmas replied, "Come, and I will introduce you to our gym teacher and our part-time maintenance man."

Schneider followed him to Jim's usual haunt that of the gymnasium, and he made the introduction as Jim came forward and gripped Schneider's hand, "Uh, hello. My name's Jim Morales. I'll be your maintenance man and your help around the place if you need it."

Schneider shook his hand firmly, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Morales. I heard you're getting some new help with your classes before I came here."

"Ah, yep. I'm looking to get some people in here because news of our quality has carried and with that, you have a lot more kids to take in. But I'm up to it though it never hurts to have an extra set of hands about."

Schneider smiled, "Of course. Well, I'm delighted to meet you, Mr. Morales and I'm hoping that we can be good friends as the year progresses."

Jim smiled a bit larger than usual, "I'm glad to make your acquaintance, Dr. Schneider, and please, call me Jim."

"I'll be seeing you around Jim." Schneider let go of his hand, and then they went to see Ms. Hertz.

As they opened Suzanne's office door, Suzanne was busy looking over the latest issue of _National Geographic. _She stood and said, "Ah Jean-Pierre, and this is?"

"Suzanne this is Dr. Hendrika Schneider she will be our new advanced chemistry and advanced computer applications teacher for our upperclassmen."

Suzanne shook Schneider's hand, and she said, "Pleased to meet you. I'm glad we have another science mind in the building, something that till' now I was confident the academy didn't precisely take pride in. "

"Now, Suzanne, that is not…" Delmas began.

"What I believe Ms. Suzanne means," Schneider said, "is that she feels what could help the academy advance in prowess has finally been given some much-needed funding and help."

"I-well, yes," Suzanne replied.

"And there is no shame in that. "Schneider continued, "Science is vital as a tool to help understand the world around us. Let alone, that computerized science proves time and time again to be a very effective means of influencing the future with not only precision but similarly acute oversight."

"But," Suzanne interjected, "if it comes at the cost of what is most important, our very environment which helps sustain life, then that is the price that is too dear to pay."

"Ms. Hertz, there never need be that much deficit compromise in any situation. What need be done is to understand the use of our precious resources is just that, precious. And those precious minerals and gold we need for our many advancements of computers, these things cannot at all be replaced, especially at the feverish rate of modern production. Therefore, you use something to its fullest extent, and if you think of new uses, disassemble and repurpose to meet that use."

Suzanne smiled, "Hmm. And what would you say to those against such an idea, namely that you cannot keep reusing old portions to power new things?"

"I would say to them, that if such is the case, then you need be far more selective and wiser in expending such precious resources to achieve the greatest long-term effect for your investment. In other words, focus not so much on convenience and the short-term but the long-term and something that not only is worth the long-term investment but pays back double what you put into it if not more."

Suzanne smiled and gripped Schneider's hand, "Welcome aboard. I can't wait to see how we can further this method of thinking, among others to our children."

"Careful of your optimism," Schneider replied, "the student must be willing to learn these ideas and often what they are resistant to learn, will never stick. You and I chose our fields out of the love of progression of technology and intellectual thought concerning the sciences. Just as we value these things, never expect or force your students to have that same passion they may not have."

Suzanne crossed her arms and smiled, "Ah, the whole taking your horse to water but can't make him drink. I agree, but at the same time, what if you have knowledge that you know the child can highly benefit from?"

"The answer is simple. If you prize the knowledge but more importantly desire the student to grasp it, water it down and don't overcomplicate. You need not always be the austere and serious teacher. Sometimes your students need to know you are also human, and in being human the epitome of relatable. However, watering down doesn't mean you sacrifice your dignity or strength of what you say, rather you make it palatable. Akin to the individual who said, "Children hate medicine, but they love bubblegum. What if we blend the two to get the fun for the kids and the medicine they need?"

Suzanne chuckled and sat down, pulling up a chair for Schneider, "Have you met children let alone junior high and high-school students, Dr. Schneider? I assure you, what you speak of is as they say, good on paper. But in the field, it takes a bit of a firmer hand."

Schneider sat as Delmas replied, "If you'll excuse me, ladies. Dr. Schneider if you need anything I feel confident in saying ask for Jim or Suzanne."

"Thank you, Jean." Suzanne said as he closed the door, "So what do you have to say?"

Schneider crossed her legs, "It is true that the student will refuse to learn. You, yourself did in subjects you didn't care for. Don't lie to me, don't you dare lie and say you didn't. But what did you do? You placated your parents with the good you did, with the exemplary nature you did things to overlook the steaming pile of shit that was English class."

Suzanne looked at her, her face in shock, "How, how did you know that?"

"Simple, Suzanne, you and I are so very much alike. Without our scientific love of testing and expansion of the mind, we would be like all these other poor saps. That said, I know what you did, because one, I did them myself. Two, I can read your body language like it's course print. Thirdly, because I know very well, your passion both for the environment, the advancement of machines, and your desire to pass the is information on, is so very much your passion, you think of little else."

"Now, that's not quite true, but on a majority of it you are very much correct," Suzanne replied after a drink of coffee.

"Which is why I want to know where you leave off with your children so that next year when they reach my class I can compound and build on what you teach. With my goal being so you can attain this level of information and attain it without having to go through the mire that comes with summer vacation." Schneider replied.

Suzanne smiled brightly, "That sounds wonderful. Alright let's get started!"

The two women got up, and as they headed down to the new science lab, Schneider sent a text and then turned off her phone.

Meanwhile, in the outer part of town a police officer, Lieutenant Franklin Batson was headed out into the countryside. It was a beautiful drive as he loved the more scenic route to where he was headed. It was that time of year the humidity was not so bad today, and he knew a fresh rain would grace the land in a few hours. He crossed on older bridge over a small river, and as he drove, he was listening to his morning dose of classical music. Today was of Mozart. It helped him set his day as he used every piece to set his mood.

He heard a beep on his car's station system to signify he was close to his location. He turned the volume knob twenty-five degrees to the right, and a small click was heard as another set of beeps was heard. He came into a clearing which was a large old railroad depot and was discontinued due to the newer rail line for convenience to the city. Franklin went onto a platform and once parked, he took out a CD, and he turned up the radio as he installed the , Fleetwood Mac's _Go Your Own Way _blared loudly, as a light flashed in front of his car, a bright green and the platform lowered and as the song played, he descended deeper and deeper underground. As it ended, he got out of his car and headed to a small door, pressing a red button.

An automated voice said, "Password Identification."

Franklin replied, "Eternal Solutions 1-9-0-1-1 Okar Ingrid Charlie."

A small beep was heard, "Dental Verification, Please." The voice said.

Franklin smiled and then opened his mouth a light scanned all of his inside and teeth on the surface.

"Retinal Scan Please."

Franklin went up to a light, and it gently passed over his eyes.

"Identification Confirmed. Welcome back, Franklin."

The door opened, and Franklin entered a small pod. Keeping his hands to his sides as the pod descended and automated voice came onto the intercom, "_it's good to see you again, Franklin, how was your week?"_

Franklin sighed, "I'm tired honestly, Amy. It's been just one of those days. My grandson's acting up and it's getting on my daughter's nerves. He doesn't much like where he is because well, he's at that stage of rebellion, you know?"

"_But such a thing is natural, Franklin. You know that very well. You joined the war against your own parents' wishes, did you not rebel in this case?"_

"Oh, without a doubt. But now it's different Amy. Like you know this I've very sure that sometimes rebellion just comes to how far can one push a boundary even if he doesn't know that boundary is there for a reason."  
"_What do his parents say, Franklin?"_

"It's…. it's frustrating. You know how Luke was telling you about how his kids don't physically discipline their children?"

"_I do, very much indeed. Which we all know that such an initiative can only spell doom on some level." _

"Why do you say that? I know why I would think so, but what is your take?" Franklin replied.

"_Simple, discipline helps establish the boundary for many of us. If we don't have this growing up, we will honestly stand for nothing, if we stand for nothing, we fall for everything. So where your children allow leniency, well they have to in time face their error in the product that is their son."_

"Honestly, I wasn't that harsh on them, Amy. In all reality, I tried my best to keep them safe which worked for a good while, but I never was overbearing or abusive."

"_I understand your defense, Franklin. But much as with everything in society, especially as I see now, severity or lack thereof is in the eyes of the beholder. And think about the beholder, is he or she looking for an excuse? Because most very much just need justification to act out in rebellion."_

"What on earth do they have to rebel against?" Franklin asked as the lift slowed.

"_What is that expression, the rebel without a cause?"_

Franklin laughed, "More like Rebel without a clue." He burst out laughing and the door opened.

Franklin walked into a vast operating room, and he saw a young man inspecting the silently but beautiful robust assembly line overhead. Franklin looked at the creations piece by piece as they were made. The young man heard him approach, and he turned to Franklin.

"Ah, Franklin. How are you old friend," he embraced Franklin.

Franklin returned the embrace, "I'm well, thank you, Terry. Amy told me you had a rough night of it last night after your journey here."

"It was good, nothing a bit of a snooze on the alarm couldn't fix." He said with a smile. "By the way, Amy gave as a brand-new cappuccino machine, care for some?"

"Oh, you bet, youngster. But can I have it iced with Hazelnut cream?" Franklin asked as he sat down in a chair.

"Sure thing. The operation was a success last night, and we have quite a few things going on in production, but we have to think long-term, not short-term." Terry replied as he was crushing some ice.

"Oh, good! So, we got what we needed?" Franklin asked.

"Most of it, yes. We have all manner of major components taking its form in cold storage. In the meantime, you and I are going to coordinate operations here on the ground until Jason, Emilio, and Clark show up."

"How long will it be till' we hear from Emilio? He's usually more prompt than the others."

"Amy says he'll be back here after he's put his portion in place in Paris and Monaco. She doesn't say how long it takes, because well…research takes a good while." Terry replied as he now came up with the iced cappuccino.

Franklin took the drink and took a sip, "Ah, perfect. Earthy, nutty, lovely, good job, kid."

"Thanks, Frank. I had plenty of time to learn while I was up in Minnesota waiting for Amy to set up shop here truly." Terry sat down, and he looked back at the sizeable wall-sized monitor, and he looked at the research in progress.

Franklin watched as various operations, and their progress was viewed. As multiple projects came up, Franklin saw one project in production and said, "Ah the Passive Power Initiative. Good on you. Working long-term very good with the most non-violence."

"Oh yeah, if those hard winters in Chicago and New York taught us anything is passive energy collection is more than possible, and Amy and I worked on this several times already, and we have perfected the prototype. And so we have both passive and active, and soon we'll have a great testing ground to test it, in this very city."

"Yeah, I saw some of Amy's work and I have a feeling that if I'm here right now, that you are going on assignment for her very soon."

"Oh yeah, I go here in a little bit, and I have something to take care of. All my papers are in order and all loopholes tied up, and in time when Emilio gets here, he'll help with our spread as opposed to the very localized spread we have right now. But that's Amy's goal to start local to we aren't so much of a deep rumble too soon."

"Yeah like Hopper. He made too many energy fluxes which is why we found his work finally, we just had to localize the effect range."

"Yep, too much of that shift energy too often and you make areas like this light up like a flare in the pitch black. You can see it for miles."

At that moment, Amy came online, "_Terry, your interview is in twenty minutes, report to our car, and we will take you there." _

Terry nodded, "Of course, Amy, my link is established. I've set up and, in your scan, am I ready?"

A beam of blue light washed over Terry, and a beeping was heard. A green light flashed on the monitor and Terry nodded, "Thank you very much. I'll head up in five minutes." He looked over at Franklin, "Oh our sentry units are nearly set we have 50 online units and 180 in reserve which is above you. They are calibrated to obey commands from both of us and of course from Amy and if you ever feel compromised, form assault squads and you should be fine."

"What available units do we have?" Franklin asked.

"Twenty brute units with an armed complement of specialized shotguns; ten reconnaissance drones; ten snipers, and five support units with heavy arc and ballistic weaponry in combination. And don't worry, we have all the electric shielding we could ever need. As for reserve units we have traditional assault units but also more than that we have The Assembler to repair our units and even make lesser drones with assault capabilities. But there is only one of him so guard him with your life."

Franklin nodded, "Thanks, Ter. Oh, is there any place where I can make my drone variant?"

Amy then spoke, "_No worries, Franklin, we have entire workshop designated to drone assembly and weaponization. But remember, do not get too carried away. These drones will be vital to our greater plan. However, if you want to do some gathering aspects for our depot here, I can gladly give you the means and security."_

Franklin nodded, "Thanks, Amy. I'll get started."

Terrence meanwhile headed upstairs via the lift and when he was at the surface, he heard Amy's voice through his implant, _"It's all in place. Get in the car, and your necessary papers are in top pocket of your briefcase. You've trained yourself for this, so best of luck and if ever you need help, just lightly cough." _

Terrence nodded and then got into the car, a Subaru Impreza. The vehicle was very comfortable; he headed off towards his destination. As Terrence headed off, he turned on the radio to hear the economic reports of the area. Listening contentedly, he soaked in the town. It looked so much better in the daylight. Quaint, quiet, friendly and withdrawn. Which for what was happening, was perfect. Beautiful and secluded meant gentle and controlled.

The area was also perfect for what the operation had planned for its later stages — plenty of sun and plenty of open space. Sure, there was some urban development, it was a bit more than what he'd thought, but Terrance was quite satisfied with this location if anything this was the ideal staging ground for the preliminary stages. But enough of that, he thought, now he had to focus on his assignment.

At that moment, his cell-phone rank, and he answered, "Hello?"

"_Hello, Mr. Barrow. This is Nicole Weber; I am calling to confirm your appointment with Mons. Delmas this morning."_

"Hello, Nicole. Yes, I am nearly there."

"_Very good. I want to instruct you to please park around at the north end of the academy in faculty parking as we are undergoing some resurfacing of most of our parking spaces."_

"Thank you, Nicole. I'll be there promptly."

Terry closed his phone and pulled into the parking lot on the north side. After he parked, he double checked everything ready for him. Terrance opened his briefcase and saw his passport, his ID, his teaching certificate. He then opened the bottom case and found it, twelve-thousand Euros in the base. Terrance clicked the bottom of the case shut and checked his glove-compartment. He saw his pistol, and he inspected it. It was made beautifully; Amy had outdone herself. He locked the compartment and then headed inside.

As he approached Jean-Pierre's office, he checked in and said, "Hello, Ms. Nicole?"

She nodded, "May I help you, Monsieur?"

"Johnathan Barrow, here to see Mons. Delmas?"

"Oh, I see." She said with a smile and a touch of blush to her cheeks, she shakes his firm hand, "I'll show you in."

_**AN: Please read and review. **_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Outstanding, Mr. Barrow. You seem to fit all the credentials needed for this academy," Jean-Pierre said after giving John's background a fine-toothed comb evaluation. The references were all laid out beforehand, and as Terrence, now going under the alias of Johnathan Barrow, sat across from the middle-aged principle, he felt very much at home, as he now felt the genuine feel of Kadic. While a private academy it was the epitome of secluded, this was now firmly cemented in his mind.

As he looked out the window behind Jean-Pierre, John said, "Monsieur Delmas, I would like to ask, has my secondary position here met your approval to be considered?"

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Oh yes, very much, so I'm glad you'll be working with us full-time. I've already seen to your associate Dr. Schneider, and she has already begun her residence, and she informed me that you are living off-campus, may I ask where so we can forward your paycheck?"

"If it pleases you, Mons. Delmas, may I authorize your payroll to direct deposit into my account for the check, so you need not worry about mailing my check to me?"

"I see no issue with that. Talk to my secretary, and she can easily set that up. Now if you will come with me, I will introduce you to Jim Morales, he is our physical instructor."

John stood and followed Jean-Pierre to meet Jim out at the track. Jim looked at James as he approached and immediately the thought that popped into his head was, "_This guy has been around and looks great for his age." _

Jean-Pierre presented John and said, "Jim, this is James Barrow. He will be working with you as your requested aid for physical education classes across the board."

John shook Jim's hand, "Mons. Morales. Pleased to meet you." He gripped Jim's hand quite firmly, which Jim respected.

"You've got a firm grip, Barrow. And by the way, I like the accent, where do you come from?"

"I was born in Swansea. But for most of my life, I was raised in Boston by my grandmother."

Jim nodded, "Well, I'm glad to hear that you will be helping me out; goodness knows I could use it these days."

Jean-Pierre said, "John will be helping you every first and second half of the day alternating every other day in addition to helping Dr. Schneider and working in the city."

Jim replied, "No worries, just having him around; I'm sure will help add some much-needed change to our students."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Excellent. Well I'll leave you to it, Jim. I'm going to finish showing John around the rest of the campus."

"Alright then, see you soon," Jim said as he turned back to the kids who were steadily exercising.

As Jean-Pierre walked with John around the school, he showed him the various elements of the school from the ring of teachers' offices to the canteen, and in general, John was very well pleased. As they headed down towards the science lab that was being set up, Jean-Pierre and John came across Yolanda which the moment when she fixed her eyes on John, she stopped cold.

She looked at him, "J-John! It's so good to see you!" She embraced him before remembering herself.

Jean-Pierre observing this said, "You two know each other?"

Yolanda said with a smile, "Johnathan helped me through my college nursing exams." She told Jean-Pierre. Looking a John, she said, "How have you been and what are you doing here of all places?"

"I'm working here now as a lab assistant to a friend of mine, Dr. Schneider for science, and I'm also helping your friend, Jim Morales with Physical Education," John replied.

"That's wonderful! Well, great I'll be seeing you around, maybe we can catch up with coffee?" Yolanda replied.

"That sounds just fine by me, I'll make time for it, once things get more oriented." John replied, "Please Mons. Delmas, let's continue if there's more to show."

"Oh no, we've covered the vast majority of our grounds here," Jean-Pierre replied.

"That's alright then. I'll go to your secretary and give her my routing number then for my direct deposit." He replied.

"That can wait," Jean-Pierre said, "if you have time, please speak with Yolanda, it's rare we get to meet any of the people from her life. But that's not a problem we can talk about it over faculty lunch so we all can get better acquainted."

"Sounds, great, Mons. I'll be along with your secretary shortly." John replied.

Jean-Pierre smiled and headed back towards his office while Johnathan was left with Yolanda. Now alone, Yolanda embraced John and gently kissed his cheek, "It's so very good to see you again, please, come with me to my office."

John followed her and was silent until they reached the infirmary. He sat down across from Yolanda and she closed the door and locked it. Going to Johnathan, she kissed him passionately. He returned her kiss for a moment, and he gripped her elbows, "Not here."

Yolanda sat down in her seat, "Of course, I forget myself. I'm sorry. It's just stuck at this place for all this time; I am so glad you came back."

John put a finger to his lips, and he gave her a small blue-tooth-like device. She took it and put it in her ear, and he nodded, and he heard her voice in his head, "It's not been easy since you've been gone and I was stationed here. I've bided my time, and I've had to endure some lies to get select people off my back. I had to get a faux marriage to keep my cover secure." She raised her left hand and showed him the ring.

He nodded, "I know it has not been easy, my dearest friend and I didn't choose your assignment; otherwise I would have made it far more bearable. But in the years, you have been here, what have you noticed?"

"Much. Very much. Amy was brilliant when she gave us the jack-in. The Lyoko Warriors are very efficient as she believed and are indeed very on top of things. Admittedly the technology faltered when I was adversely affected by the XANA program. However, we have since adjusted that, unfortunate as it was. Also, these children are very much when they first started in the throws of learning. As they came to terms with the return to the past protocol, I felt the effects. I'm not insane, thank god. I've had aspects to keep me grounded and thus my mind is fine, but it got so monotonous the returns over and over and fucking over."

Yolanda sighed in disgust and looked if anything, beyond the realm of controlling herself. Johnathan gripped her hand, "I know." His voice soothing and calm in her mind, "And I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, Yolanda. I was off on my assignment setting upEpicurus and then setting up Solaris. I know it was far from easy and I know you must have questioned your sanity more than once at this point."

"It's okay," her voice was no resounding in his mind, "This is what was needed to make sure everything held firm into what needs to happen." She gripped John's face in her hands, gently, allowing her fingers to feel his bones, "It's so good to see and feel you. I want my time here to wrap up. Do you have any idea how these kids are? Filthy, disgusting, it's like every day is a game of Guess That Smell."

"Ugh, I know how that must feel, a complete mindfuck and a sensory overload for your nose, trust me, I know. I'll be dealing with that in PE soon enough." He smiled a bit, and so did she.

"How far along is the operation?" she asked him her eyes sharpening.

"It's has been long enough in the workings. We're at present at seventy percent, and that's a full ten percent from last year. We have the very best of our team on it. As I said I set up our major distributors. I also have everything you left with me updated, and a lot of it preserved in our new base here in the city. I know it's not exactly ideal, but it's what we have for a non-aggressive slow burn."

Yolanda reached into her medicine cabinet, removing the back panel to reveal a hidden space. She opened it, and she gave him a six by eleven-inch book. He opened it, and it contained what was desperately needed at this point. He put it in his briefcase and opening the lower portion he gave her ten-thousand Euros which she put in the back panel and sealed it. Yolanda then turned to him and kissed him again.

She then spoke, "Come on, we have twenty minutes at best before any kids come in."

Johnathan said, "As I said, not right now. Tonight, we will take up where we left off years ago." He reached into his pocket and gave her a black card labeled, _Sentinel Sanitation Solutions. _He said, "Call the number on the back and then dial extension 332. That is my forwarding building off base, and I will come to get you."

She put it in her wallet and then said, "Expect a call around six when I get off this afternoon at _David's Delicatessen._"

John nodded, kissed her, and them embraced her one last time. Afterward he left her office and headed down the hall.

He heard Amy's voice in his head, "_Very smooth, Johnathan, you do the cause proud." _

"Amy, she's tired. I want to relieve her of her agony of duty." John thought.

"_Naturally, I can see that, so can you. Yolanda's time in this sweat-soaked hormone hell-hole is near complete. Once she clicks her boots with you and gets literal release, we can have her advance to the next stage of our plan."_

"Amy it's not easy, the returns to the past take a toll on everyone and especially her." Jonathan thought as he headed toward Jean-Pierre's office.

"_I'm more than aware of that, Johnathan, I do not wish Yolanda any more than what she has already been through, which is why I'm going to let her vent her frustrations through not destruction but instead creation. Now, before you go into Delmas' office, wait. Take a deep breath; control yourself. Don't go in just yet, his daughter Elisabeth is inside asking for a favor. Just wait." _

Johnathan took a short sigh and sat in one of the seats outside Delmas' office. He thought, "_I don't want her to go on in unending loops like this, Amy. Please let me help her." _

"_My dear John, I am going to help her. Now you take a rest. Here I have some music for you." _Amy replied gently and calmly.

The music inside Johnathan's head began to play, Pergolessi's _Gloria Patri _sung by Phillippe Jarousskeywhich made Johnathan reflect to first meeting Amy far before all this had started. It was the Met Symphony, and his father had invited him to join him and some business associates for a holiday and this music was the punctuation of the meeting. He was captivated at first by the richness of the music, and then he remembered Amy's look, a tall woman a dark tan and deep black hair. She so entranced him that when the intermission had happened, he pursued her directly and over time, came to know her and realize her vision.

He knew Amy was a remarkable speaker and even greater still, she had impact behind her words. The unique think of Amy was that she could unite any faction of people, no matter their differences and have them work so seamlessly he was amazed how so dissimilar people could function as one remarkable body. She knew not only how to make people act but to make them feel they are worthy and legitimately of worth to her operations.

With all the time, that this project had undertaken to the establishment of lesser technologies, to the formation of select foundations for corporate flushing, to the very element of harnessing return to the past through analysis of the Lyoko Project, this all had taken time, dedication, and above all sacrifice. Over twenty years had transpired since this project's launch, and over time everything had slowly but surely aligned.

The music faded the door of Delmas' office opened as Sissi stepped out. Johnathan looked at her, gently waved and she gave a small wave and went on her way with Nicholas and Hervey. John stood up and went into Delmas' office. Jean-Pierre welcomed him in, and Johnathan sat down.

John then said, "Well, Mons. Delmas, I have completed my tour of the facility, so when would you like to me to start accustoming myself to your school criteria?"

"No need to be so formal, Johnathan, you are not a student," Jean-Pierre said with a smile, "Call me, Jean. To answer your question, we will not have use for you till' the new semester. But until such time, please, speak with Jim and Professor Suzanne Hertz as well as your own Dr. Schneider to see how you are of use. In the meantime, should you find yourself free, avail yourself to your secondary occupation and other duties as you see fit. I will send out the work schedule when it is closer to time about the second month of summer break."

"Thank you, Jean," John replied, "I'll be at my address in my file, and if you need anything, please don't hesitate to contact me at my cell number."

"Of course, and if I may, please report periodically to the school at least two weeks out of each month of summer vacation. Also, do you have your lesson-plan for Physical Education?"

"That would depend on what I reach to an agreement with Jim." John replied, "I will be helping our children with weight machines and swimming."

"Excellent. That will come into great effect in Solovieff Hall, our newest addition to our campus." Jean-Pierre replied.

"Well then, as you suggest, I will follow your request, so I'll see you the week after next just as summer vacation begins."

"Thank you, Johnathan. We'll see you the week after next." Jean-Pierre nodded, and he departed.

As John headed out, he met with Nicole, and he said, "Ah, Ms. Webber, I spoke with Jean-Pierre, and he told me that a direct deposit into my account would be possible for my payment from the institution."

She nodded, "Of course, Mons. Barrow. One moment." She typed a few lines and asked for his routing number which he provided once done she said, "Well, we're all set. Your pay will be received on the first and third Friday of every month."

Johnathan smiled, "Thank you, very much, Ms. Weber, I'll see you soon."

As John headed out, he took out his phone and dialed a number. Entering into his car, he waited as the phone rang. He double checked everything in his briefcase as well as the book Yolanda had given him, and after double-checking, the phone picked up.

"Sentinel Sanitation Solutions, how may I direct your call?" a voice replied.

"Sentinel's Echo, please," John replied as he placed his briefcase beneath the passenger seat.

"Sending you through now." The voice replied.

A voice spoke after a small musical tone, "Echo Branch. State your Clearance Code."

"Solaris," John replied.

A tone was heard, and a phone picked up, "Hello, Terrance. It's good to hear from you. Everything's been set up as per our directive."

"Glad to hear it, Booth and until my time is complete, my name is Johnathan Barrow."

"Very well, John. But yes, everything has been initiated, and we have structured the great dome for the project, and we have begun the Fuel Directive Stage Three."

"Excellent. Proceed with our operations, you know our directive, and the yield of the system should go beyond our projections in the next few weeks."

"Of course. Also, we've heard from Imperial, and the operations are a go. Our outlets are doing extremely well in Paris, and our newest aspect here is finding a phenomenal income rate since you set it up a month ago."

"It was bound to work, and you have made sure all of this is insured, especially in this area?"

"Naturally, to ensure the quality of life for our minor initiatives. We have four of the six operations in the city online, and we have the vats being prepared offsite."

"Wonderful. Keep the vats offline until everything is properly prepared, and how is Eagle Four coming along?"

"It is coming along extremely well. All aspects of growth are right on schedule, and in a week, the assessment will be given to attain quality before we make use of what we've cultured."

"Wonderful, and one last question, is my house sufficiently prepared for my stay here amongst our…neighbors?"

"It is ready. I am sending the coordinates to you now. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, everything else is fine, thank you."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you at your next report."

Johnathan ended the call, and he looked at his phone to see the address he had to go to. He left the parking lot of the school and headed out towards the outer end of the city. The house that he arrived at was extremely nice — three stories tall and very ornate echoing the baroque style. Johnathan got out of his car with his briefcase, and he headed up to the house. He felt around the brickwork and finding the small notched glyph in the corner of one of them, he pulled out the brick and found a keycard therein.

Placing the brick back, John swiped the card, and the automatic locks opened. Stepping into the home he saw an exquisite layout: A nice mix of modern with classic with full sofas, love seats, rich hardwood floors, high ceilings with elegant wallpaper of a floral print. The spiraling staircase was well-carpeted and the handrail made of equally beautiful wood as was in the floors.

"This is a very nice safe-house, Amy, very nice indeed," John said as he looked around.

"_It's been secured, and you have all manner of everything you should need. There are security drones both around the perimeter as well as our own specialists in key portions of the house." _Amy replied.

"Great, so is there anything that I should know going into this place?" Johnathan asked.

"_There are link-ups to our labs in the basement and the attic so you cannot be as easily compromised by the authorities. But we also have back up relays to transfer your information if anything is getting too close."_

"Okay, and what are the armaments of the drones?" Jonathan asked.

"_More than enough to keep you safe, buy you time to transfer data or cut and run," _Amy replied.

Jonathan replied, "Okay, well, I'll get started then."

Preparations took quite a long time as the necessary safeguards were instated around the house. But Jonathan was smart, he worked closer to mid-evening and was only in select areas in key places. He double-checked the power relays, and John found all necessary functions were in order from the solar-power array in the far section of the open clearing of the nearby woodland with hydraulic power generated from a moderate significant stream up to the north. The house was extremely well-suited for life off the grid especially with a subsection of a subterranean relay through specialized generator with enough kerosene and gasoline to last around eight months.

In about two hours, all the requirements had been met, and Johnathan looked at the clock, "An hour before Yolanda gets picked up so, to lay out dinner." He said to himself as he checked the fridge which was perfectly stocked. Then the cupboards were inspected, and as he reflected on his much-loved time with Yolanda, he hit upon an idea.

"Amy, I would like an order delivered to my house by way of Tesorno."

"_What would you like me to have delivered to you?"_

"I would like you to get for me a half a pound of Guanciale and a small block of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano."

"_When would you like this delivered, John?" _Amy asked,

"Please have it delivered by the Silver Talon on the east end in half an hour," John replied as he dressed in a semi-formal suit of iron-grey silk and affixing his trademark indigo and silver embossed tie, got into his car and headed towards Kadic.

Meanwhile Ulrich and Odd were relaxing in their rooms after a very long and hard day of physical fitness from Jim and a grueling semi-final from both Ms. Hertz and Mons. Fumet. It was a ringer of a day. But it wasn't like they were unprepared. They had readied their minds as much as possible, and now with the school year winding down, it was the final crunch before judgment day.

Ulrich sighed as he lay on his bed, thinking about what was coming up. The aspect of him being a freshman next year. He knew Yumi would be transferring to Kadic's extension program at Mulciere Academy, so she'd still be in touch, but it wasn't like it had been. True, he didn't like it, but this was one thing he knew he couldn't change.

Odd, however, was also concerned with freshman year. Yeah, he'd still be in Kadic Academy, but he even knew something else was coming. He could feel it. He didn't want to admit it nor did he say his thought out loud. But he felt the battle was not over, not by a long shot. XANA was gone. Sure, but then there was the whole thing of Jeremy's alert. The computer rarely ever made mistakes and to find this occurrence happens just hot on the heels of the server shut down, the fact it was hot, it just did not sit well with him, not in the slightest.

"Hey," Ulrich's voice cut down these thoughts, and Odd focused.

"What?" he asked.

"Did you see the new people show up? I saw one of them early this morning. Schneider I think her name is. Man, I tell you Odd, science class is going to be a lot more bearable with her in there."

"What are you talking about?" Odd asked as he propped himself up on his elbow to focus better.

"She's beautiful. When we see her later, you'll see what I mean." Ulrich said with a bit of a smile, "Better than granny Hertz any day."

Odd lay back flat on his bed, "Doesn't much matter," he said with a yawn, "if she's any looker, we'd only get to enjoy her for a year before transfer anyway."

"Oh? Do I hear Odd Della Robbia brush off a hot teacher? I should alert the presses, Milly and Tamia love a good scoop like this."

"Not brushing off a hot teacher, I've not ever stopped that. Just rather put my life in retrospective. I mean think about it, hot as this teacher may be, we'd only allow ourselves a feast for a year. And then well, it's back to depression until we get to senior year."

"Oh, come on, this isn't you. What's on your mind?" Ulrich asked now a bit concerned.

Odd turned his back towards Ulrich, "Nothing, I think I've possibly overthinking something."

"Uh, well, …alright. Well I hope you're better by tomorrow." Ulrich got up, "I'm gonna' shower, be back in a bit."

Odd signified his understanding and Ulrich headed out. True Odd's behavior was well…odder than usual for him, but still, something he could tell was eating at him. As he passed along towards the showers, he saw Yolanda leave the infirmary for the night.

"Goodbye, Nurse Yolanda," he said.

She stopped for a moment and turned, "Oh, good evening Ulrich, I hope you have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow." She then continued on her way.

Ulrich headed to the shower, and as he turned on the hot water, his mind began to wander. He wondered about the future, about how far what he'd go so far as to say his family had come. He was reflecting on Odd, what was truly eating at him? He'd ask later. Yumi on her transfer, that even if she went, she'd not be out of reach too much. As he showered, theses thoughts and more percolated in his mind sealed with the hot water and then released by the sweet relief of the steam as it enveloped him.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was relaxing in his room with Aelita, both enjoying a game of checkers. Aelita jumped four pieces in succession and Jeremy grabbed her wrist, "Retrace."

She flicked his wrist with her free hand, and the sharp pinch stuck so he completely locked open, and her hand was free, "Not so grabby Jeremy. I know how you like the feeling of my skin, but come on."

"Are you being coy with me?" he said with a smile.

"Teeth away, Monsieur Wolf." She said with a smile as she said, "Here, going serpentine four pieces, gone, and now, queen me."

"It's king me, Aelita," Jeremy replied.

"Technically, the olden term is to "crown me." But since I am the monarch of my pieces, it is queen me." She said with a smile.

He chuckled, "As you wish your majesty." He gave the crown and then looked again at the board, "I still don't know why you don't want to play chess."

"Checkers requires alertness. Chess requires a course on how to be lethargic and lax." Aelita replied.

"Are you calling me slow?" Jeremy said as he made his move.

"As slow as molasses on a windowpane." She said as she moved her piece jumping two of his pieces.

Jeremy shrugged, "Oh by the way, did you see the new teacher coming in to help Jim? I saw him a bit at track and Sissi had a good look at him and apparently he's the new phys ed teacher."

"What was your takeaway from what you saw of him?" Aelita asked as she stretched her left leg, "What's he like?"

"He looks very professional, clean-cut, but he has lovely hair though. Black and silky."

"Are you appraising another man's hair, Jeremy?" Aelita asked with a playful punch to his right arm.

"Hey, what do you want from me, he has the hair that when the sun strikes it you can see it like a beacon."

"Sounds like he's an old grease head," Aelita replied.

"Greaser, Aelita, and no, he doesn't have an American look about him," Jeremy said.

"Since when does grease denote stereotype?" Aelita said, "If that's the case, Odd is Lucky Luciano."

"Getting a taste for American mobsters, are you?" Jeremy asked.

"I saw _Goodfellas _last week, so kill me."

"Where'd you get to see that?" Jeremy asked

"I went to Yumi's. It's always a party there."

Jeremy sighed, "Let me guess, the great forum where all things related to women is talked about?"

Aelita giggled, "Yes, it's the Forbidden City, and the serfs aren't allowed."

Jeremy looked at her and then moved his piece over six of her pieces, "Game over."

Aelita looked at the board, looked at Jeremy and back at the board again. She took the board and turned it gently in a full rotation, "I win."

Meanwhile, Yolanda was at Johnathan's safehouse eating a wonderful meal of traditional Carbonara, steamed asparagus, and white Chateau Laffite. She looked at Jonathan and said, "It reminds me of all those years ago, before Kadic, before all this mess. Back in Naples."

He nodded as he finished his glass of wine and said, "It was a different time before Hopper went off the rails with the Lyoko Project. A madman in pursuit of perfection. Alas, as my teacher, Mr. Dobbins told me, 'There is not perfection within this life, Mr. Entwhistle, there is only better.' And after all that the discovery of Lyoko has caused for good and ill I'm inclined to agree with him."

"One wonders if by impaling himself on his sword to the near point of madness if he truly was that dedicated or frankly just that prideful," Yolanda replied.

"More pride than anything else. I think I can be well and truly sure of that. Some would say Hopper suffered for his art, but in all reality his passion is what killed him. Giving birth to the XANA program. Which tanks to the admittedly tolling effects of a naïve group of kids were for the greater or lesser extent, nullified."

"I love it that you can't talk normally." Yolanda said with a smile, "I'm so glad you chose white wine over red; it doesn't stain the teeth."

"You and me both, I used to love red wine as you know, but the effect on the teeth made it look garish, to say the least." He took his empty glass and plate along with hers and went to the sink to wash the articles," Oh, by the way, that's an interesting name, Yolanda, I was wondering how you came to choose it."

"I wanted to have a given name and surname that made it easier to hide, especially after the events of that pig, Louis. He made it very hard for me to hide, after I was assigned to Kadic he caught onto me after a while and thus I changed my name to Yolanda until Amy could make a more permanent solution which from what she told me, you took care of two months after."

"Yes. It wasn't pleasant. You must understand that kind of work never is. But for the sake of your safety alone I gladly undertook the endeavor. It's not unlike Hopper. He designed Lyoko and XANA as precautions against Project Carthage. Both went awry on him. Although so intense was his dedication to making these embodiments as we said, he went mad or nearly so. But it doesn't matter now. Carthage has long since been dissolved. As we speak at this very moment the last person of any major note, Lowell Tyron is being finished off at least in the way most knew him."

"I remember Amy talking about Tyron it was because of him she formed the Vanguard Initiative all those years back. One of our first projects." Yolanda replied.

"Exactly, in two hours, we'll see just how things shake out. I personally…"

An alert went off in both Yolanda and Johnathan's phones; it was Amy. "_I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I have good news, Dr. Lowell Tyron has been successfully terminated along with his entire security staff. Their bodies are being brought to Theta to undergo processing into the assembly. His assets have been disassembled and transferred to Sight Omega to serve as a secondary processing base for operation functionality."_

The message ended, and the phones turned off, "Well then, that's that." Johnathan replied, "Now we go about the aspect of Directive Four in addition to what we lifted from Lyoko, we should have more than enough to process major operation advancements to further our goal." 

Yolanda went up to him, "Of course we can do that. But first.."

She kissed him passionately as she began to unbutton his shirt, and he unhooked her dress. They proceeded up into the wonderfully spacious master bedroom, and as they continued onto their nocturnal escapade, the watchful eyes of Amy looked from the security camera.

"_This release was needed desperately for both of you," _she said to herself,_ "But do not forget your purposes. We serve the directive we have served since the beginning, and now with the pieces in place, we can finally commence with true advancement of our cause."_

As she observed Yolanda and Johnathan in their passionate exorcising of their animalistic need, a small screen popped up on Yolanda's phone, "_Initiating Call of the Family: Project Solaris is now active."_ Amy activated the send button, and soon the message was out to all major players in her operation.

On the other end of the city, the message was received by a computer and once processed, the assembly line began to move. Massive vats filled with a frothing boiling pink liquid as neighboring vats of molten metal were poured into specialized caste molds. One by one, the whir of the line, the hiss of pistons, precision-hammering of bolts, and sealing of screws, the melodious and vibrant snap of the bubbling vats created the grand symphony of mechanized creation. The pouring of the liquid portion by portion, precisely combined and measured now taking form. The soft blowing of the fans over every caste added a beautiful overdraft of cold air as the furnace had been converted for maximum cooling. It was all taking shape, the vision all the closer to completion.

Amy's view panned over to the second section of the factory and oversaw the next rung of the process. The pieces were gently aligned and one by one, her units entered standby. She had made ready their designated areas, she had secured all manner of the necessary paperwork to both protect and act of her own free will. By sunrise they would be prepared, Amy's children, The Kings, and Queens of Solaris.

_**AN: Read and Review, and thank you for your continued support. Any questions that crop up, please place them in your reviews and I will see to their answer in due time. **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Code Lyoko all rights and properties go to their necessary holder. The only thing that is mine is this narrative premise. **_

_**AN: Thank you for the readers who have returned time and time again to my story. This is a new form of confidence that you have given me and I will continue to write and update as often as I can. I want to say here and now that the story is not precisely that of a slow-burn but to tell this story successfully the stage has to be set for everything to tie into one another. I thank you for your patience during this time and your continued support. -Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 4

Jeremy awoke at five-thirty. He had slept fine; his dreams had been in the form of retrograde as the fight against XANA went on, but now, that the machine was silent, he had a better sleep is all he could say. His dreams he couldn't accurately remember; however, Jeremy figured if he were meant to remember them, he would have remembered them. The only thing that came to his mind was that he had a significant headache. The infirmary wouldn't be open until seven, so Jeremy reached into the bottom drawer of his bed, found his bag of change, and headed down through the central courtyard to the vending machine. He put his money in and in time hot chocolate was pouring into a cup.

Taking the cup and having his drink, he was satisfied. Some elevations of Kadic budgets had shown, especially in its vending machines. The chocolate was creamy, sweet, and velvety in texture and as he drank, Jeremy was very well contented here in the early morning hours. He noticed the gymnasium lights were on, which he considered a bit odd as none to his knowledge worked out during the early morning. Heading over, he went inside, and as he entered, he heard the heavy iron clanking of the weights in a steady rhythm with two-second intervals.

Heading up the stairs, he heard the rhythm continue as he also heard Jim's voice say, "Great job, great job, Barrow two more reps you can do it,"

Jeremy got up closer to the weight-room portion, and he saw Johnathan lifting what he could see was a hefty weight. His face was beet red, but his arms and body were very well fit. It amazed him, how well-defined his arms and legs were as the weights gave the audible clank.

As the lest rep came out, he heard Johnathan said, "Come on, don't be a pussy!" with a mighty yell, he lifted one last time and then racked the bar and then let out a heavy exhale.

"Great job, Johnathan," Jim said, handing him a thermos.

Johnathan drank from the thermos and then took another breath, "Oh man! Thanks, Jim, ah shit. My arms are going feel like hell tomorrow."

"I'm just impressed you did so well and that you wanted to do this so early. Not many at all would opt to wake up at 5:00 and workout till 10:30."

"Thanks. I don't want to keep you from your classes, Jim, that's all." Johnathan said as he got up and using a towel, wiped off the bed where he was.

"Pshaw, think nothing of it. The kids don't start class till 11:30, and since we started the selective schedule system, some of those poor saps have put it off till the very last minute." Jim said as he removed the weights from the bar.

Johnathan took another drink of water and spotted Jeremy through a mirror turned to see him, "Oh hi. Jim, I think one of your students is here."

Jim turned and seeing Jeremy said, "Oh hey, Belpois. What are you doing up so early?"

Jeremy said, "Uh, I just couldn't sleep, so I came out to get a hot chocolate before headed back to bed."

"Ah, you want to get back to bed, get some exercise in for a bit. It never killed anyone, and besides, it's far healthier than that sweet sludge." Jim replied.

John tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, what do you say we get our laps in with this kid out on the track, that way we get our recovery in before we do skull-crushers?"

Jim nodded, "Hey, that's not a bad idea. What do you say, Belpois? You in for a few laps before heading back to bed?"

Jeremy smiled, "Um, does this take a chunk out of Phys. Ed for today?"

Jim chuckled, "Nice try. No this is to help you get some healthy cardio in and get you in the state to get back to sleep."

John then said, "Tell you what. I have a better idea. I'm going to get a fist full of tongue depressors, and you run a full lap. The lap's duration is from right here where we stand down those stairs you just came up around the perimeter of the gym, come up this second flight of stairs behind Jim and I. When you get back to this spot where we stand, you drop one depressor. When you have finished your fistful, you can go back to bed, and Jim here gives you a break on the running portion of today's class, sound fair?"

Jeremy thought a moment and said, "Tell you what, you set the number of laps, and you both do it with me."

Jim began, "Well, now if…"

'Ah, ah. Jim," Johnathan said, "The boy raises a valid point. Afterall what leaders would we be if we subjected him to this and didn't participate in it ourselves? Come now, we can do it. Alright, Belpois, you're on."

Johnathan headed into Jim's second office, and he got two whole fistfuls of tongue depressors. He came back out, "Okay, take twenty depressors each, and we'll begin."

They took the depressors, and then Jim said, "Let's get some music going." He hooked up the radio and the song _Sweet Emotion _by Aerosmith began to play, and the men and Jeremy took off. They reached a considerable amount of consistency up to the tenth lap which Jeremy started to slow down. This point tired him because he didn't quite know the mentality of the project yet.

Johnathan slowed a tiny bit, "Don't focus on us, so much, Belpois. Take a thermos over there on the bench and get a drink. Then focus on the rhythm of our feet and try and match it. Keep your eyes focused on what is ahead of you, and keep in that system."

Jeremy heeded this advice, took action, and progressively he did better in time the three kept running. Around halfway through, Jeremy felt the intense burning in his lower right rib. The pain was immense.

"Aah! It hurts!" he said as he began to falter again.

"Jeremy, focus on my voice, power through it!" Jonathan replied as he ran in place alongside Jeremy.

"I can't!" He said as he tried to advance as the pain began to seize him.

"Bullshit! You can do it! Sitting on those computers with robots, that's not where a true test of power is! Listen to me and move boy!" Johnathan said which jarred Jeremy

Jeremy now fueled with a bit of anger, yelled in pain as he moved forward.

"Yeah, feel that anger you weak as water boy! You want to prove me wrong, have some balls like your friends have, even that girl and power on through!"

Jeremy now truly mad lunged out with his right fist. Johnathan caught it and said, "Don't focus on hitting me, focus your anger instead on powering through your run. Go!"

Jeremy shouldered the agony in his ribs, and he moved on, determined to prove Johnathan wrong, he pushed harder, and harder until finally, the pain ceased. He continued, keeping in stride with Jim and Johnathan. So much so that in an hour all twenty sticks were gone. Jeremy was tired, of course, but he felt a greater sense of relief. Johnathan gave him a thermos and said, "Drink up, replace your water. Then go shower off. If that doesn't put you back to sleep for a bit, nothing will."

Jeremy, after he had drunk his fill, said, "Thanks, Mr…"

"John, call me John." He replied

"Thank you, John. I honestly didn't know I had two laps in me." Jeremy said afterward finishing the thermos, "I mean I didn't know I had it in me."

Johnathan chuckled saying, "It's all a matter of honestly getting your mind off your discomfort. To push on through to power through is to overcome a preset limitation that sadly, in many cases, is self-imposed. You can have your passions, Jeremy as I've heard a bit about you from Ms. Hertz. But remember a powerful body and a resilient mind _in combination_ is what is most desired. You do not want too much of one or the other but instead a balance."

Jeremy nodded, and after wiping the sweat from his brow, handed back the thermos and said, "Thanks, I'll see you in science class?"

John shook his head, "You'll see me here first. As Phys. Ed is a bit more hands-on than the work I'd be doing with my fellow associates, and besides, I get a jump-start on my paycheck."

Jim burst out laughing, "Ha! Ah, this guy! Well, I give it to you, you're very honest about this stuff."

Johnathan laughed in return, "Hey, look, man. The love of money is the root of all evil. Money isn't bad, it helps get through our little world, but still I'm not about just_ working hard for the money,_" he broke out into song, "But it helps to have a focus to get money is all I'm saying."

"What the heck was that?" Jim asked.

"What?" Johnathan replied, "I grew up on the tail end of the eighties. Get off my lawn, Morales!" effecting an elderly stance and pretending to have a cane, looking like a taller, more handsome Yoda.

Jeremy chuckled, "Whatever, guys. I'm going to head to the showers."

As Jeremy left, Johnathan got onto the stair-stepper, and Jim got alongside him on the elliptical, "So, John tell me more about what you were talking about, your view of the flaws of juvenile law."

Jeremy was in the shower letting first the hot then cold water wash over him. It was a blend of soothing and refreshing. As the sweat was washed off, Jeremy started to think about what John had said, about self-imposed barriers. As he reflected, he thought, "_Wel by that logic, isn't life just a whole bunch of self-imposed barriers meant to be overcome?" _Continuing to ponder, Herve came in as Jeremy saw him entering another portion of the shower room. "_If it's all just self-imposed boundaries," _Jeremy thought, _"then why don't we truly test that theory. I just ran twenty rotations of the whole gym, I thought I'd die because of the pain, but I powered through. Hmmm." _

Then he said it, "Hey Herve,"

"What do you want, Jeremy?" came the annoyed voice a shower stall down.

"A battle of strength and wits," Jeremy replied. I want to do thirty laps around the track and for the intellectual side, I want to see if you can design a degree of programming that allows for all computer networks to be manipulated singularly from not a net-stream but a single command of data to see how quickly we can spread."

Herve was quiet a moment and said, "Is that so? Alright, physical fitness and the ability to make an epidemic virus. Alright, Jeremy, it's on. What are the stakes?"

"Simple, if I win, you will never compete in the school academic robotic design division against me again and will concede that I am truly the greater mind of the two of us."

"Sounds, good, same for me additionally if I win, you keep Ulrich the hell away from Sissi."

Jeremy thought, '_Wow, still that much of a piner, huh?' _and he replied, "Sure, Herve that can be arranged."

"Alright, you're on. One week from today, we'll see who's truly the greater intellect." Herve replied as he lathered his hair.

Meanwhile, in the gym, Johnathan was performing dead-lifts with Jim as they were finishing up their workout. His phone vibrated. He made a mental note of it; he proceeded to lift the two hundred and thirty pounds and then gave a final drop.

Jim said, "Excellent, now, let's have a short reprieve."

John sat down on a squat bench and took another drink from his thermos, "Give me a sec, Jim. I gotta' take a call."

"Sure thing." Jim replied, "Hey, want me to refill the thermoses?"

"Go right ahead, man. Extra ice in mine, please." John replied as he checked his phone and saw the audio recording.

As Jim headed off, John plugged into his phone with his earbud said, "What's going on?"

Franklin's voice was heard on the other line, "Everything is in place, John. I talked to Enrique, and I talked to Melissa. Both are on their way with Melissa joining the operation not within Kadic but on the fringes at Imperial Insurance. While Enrique is setting up reception for Pure Air."

"That's fantastic. I knew that crazy bastard would put it off. With that, we can easily triple our efforts. What of Kingston? Any word?"

"Nonesuch as yet but I do know the paperwork went through for what was needed to obtain the permits, so we have that to go on."

John heard Jim coming back up the stairs, "Well, that's great sweetie, I'll let you get along with work. Tonight, I'll swing by the office and take you out to eat. Okay, love you. Bye."

Jim came back up, and he said, "Ah, girlfriend?"

Johnathan replied, "Nah, it's my kid cousin. She's got a job in the area at the new Chon-Li restaurant in the city."

Jim nodded, "Oh yeah, I've heard about that place; great stuff is what they say."

Amy's voice was in John's head, "_Invite him to the site if you like. Everything's all set up."_

John then asked, "Hey Jim, how about we go there for lunch? If your stomach holds out, I'll make sure you get enough to feed an emperor."

"I'm all for it John, oh how's about this, we order ahead of time for the faculty, I can collect their portion, and we can swing by and get it?"

Amy's voice replied in John's mind, "_That's perfectly fine. The operation has been running at the desired efficiency for the past month."_

"Hey, that' not a bad idea, Jim. Go right ahead make the order list, and I'll wait till you have it all set up." Johnathan replied.

Jim nodded, "Great. Are you still going to work out here or…"

"Nah, I'm good for right now. I'm going to shower and go rest up I'm just a bit winded still from the trans-Atlantic flight, you know."

"Yeah, the time adjustment can be a bit rough. Is that why you wanted to do this at five this morning?" Jim asked.

"Admittedly yeah. See back home, and I used to work night shifts; it was the epitome of the early graveyard. I would work form 11:00 to 10:30 and then around 11:30 I'd go and work out at the gym for about three hours. It was an awesome place, open 24/6 as they were closed on Sundays and so that routine is what I'm used to."

Jim sat on one of the weight beds, "Why would you work at a lab so late?"

"To me, it was the best time to get work done; none were around the lab except my old janitor friend Dave Hickey. He was one of the dearest old souls you could ever meet…kind of makes me sad that he's gone now.

He always made the nights fly by with our discussions."

"What happened to him, if you don't mind me asking?" Jim said as he looks on at John.

"He died of cancer. The nights honestly, I knew it would never be the same after that. So, when my friend Schneider got her position here when the advertisement was available, she invited me along to help fill the role of lab-assistant." John said.

"I see. Well, I'm glad to have met you and to have you here." Jim replied, getting up, "For what it's worth, I'm hoping this place becomes as it did for me, a second home."

Johnathan smiled, "Thanks, Jim, I'll see you when it comes time to do class after I rest up."

John headed out of the gym and went to his car. Once home, he showered up and shaved until he was cleanly shaven and headed downstairs to rest on the couch as he turned on _National Geographic. _As John watched the documentary on the lions of Tsavo, he reflected on all that had brought him here. He was pleased to be an agent of change for the good. He knew the people wouldn't like the changes at first, but then did people in general ever like change?

As the program ran, John got up and headed to the kitchen proceeding to make a plate of traditional bacon, eggs, and buttered toast. As he cooked, he was reflecting on the progress of the operation. Admittedly, this time around was by far the smoothest run that the organization had since their prior noteworthy attempt back in 1989. Things were a bit different, far more relaxed.

However, John knew that after 9/11 had happened, security around the world embraced advancement on a scale which the team had not quite prepared for. The Social Project, as a result, had to take a significant hiatus and through diligent work, he and the other operatives had made substantial progress at critical points all over the world. However, with the advent of Hopper making the Lyoko project as a counter-agent of sorts to Project Carthage, it had thrown a lot of things with the first program into equally a nose-dive and a race against time.

Fortunately, Amy saw it in everyone's best interest to stand back as spectators until an exact pattern could successfully be established. They had narrowed down Hopper's super-computer while equally understanding side-projects such as Tyron's own attempts for his super-computer. But as Amy realized early on, Hopper, despite his great gamble in doing returns to the past, was the more exceptional genius of the two. Tyron's project was bred out of personal hubris and angst. Therefore, he wasn't considered as much of a threat as Hopper himself.

The project had taken a substantial amount of time and with the various returns to the past, what Hopper didn't know, what Amy showed all of her team, was that Hopper had burrowed so much into a variety of spectrums around Kadic with his super-computer, that he might have well been raising red flags from 1994 to the present.

Therefore, Amy devised various methods to counter-act and narrow down where the computer was. She did this, with relative ease. However, Amy didn't go after the super-computer immediately because, as Amy explained to the team, she knew equally that in addition to what she had been able to glean of Lyoko that XANA was a constant. Through her research in the very recent days since she acquired all internal schematics of the super-computer's programming, she knew that the only reason the system was shut down and the super-computer designated dormant was because that every return to the past while ensuring perfection of Lyoko made XANA all the stronger.

The Lyoko team John knew had very much isolated and with Hopper's help, decimated XANA in effect nullifying the threat. Hopper was gone, Amy knew that however in his place was a beautiful machine by which she could calibrate and designate vital elements of its raw processing power to achieve what she wished to all along. Johnathan knew she was far closer now than ever to her goal, especially now in possession of Tyron's system by which she was recalibrating and programming to her needs. Two super-computers with very similar layouts and in time, they would share a united chief directive.

John sat down on the couch, gave thanks for his meal, and as he ate, he watched, the soreness gradually kicked in. It was okay though, this had happened many times, and so John put his feet up and lounged a bit. A thought occurred to his mind, and he dialed the phone, and it rang for a few moments.

The receiver picked up, and he heard, "_Hello?"_

"Hey, Elsa, how's it going at the lab?" he said with a smile.

"_Ugh, I told you to stop calling me that."_

"Why?" He said with a chuckle, "You're German originally from Berlin, you have ties to secret societies that used to search for the Grail, and I guarantee you, if, given that chance, you'd reach far enough to where your gloves slip from your elegant fingers and fall into a crevice saturated by chemical mist from a fog machine."

"_First of all, you fragrant jackass, Elsa was a Nazi Sympathizer, not a Nazi proper."_

"Ah, but Fraulein," John said, striking a German impression, "if one is the Nazi Sympathizer, would that not make them the Nazi by association?"

"_You sound like a homosexual trying to fit in." _was the reply.

"I do not deny there are some exceptions of the ranks to homosexuals in our party, Fraulein, but I am not homosexual just exuberant_." _

"_If you don't stop that fucking accent right, Mein Gott I will come over there and gut you." _

John switched over to cockney English, "Did you 'ere that? She threatened me!"

"_Dipshit, pay attention. The adaptive systems are in the latter stages of research and development. We should have the final stages completed by next week. Projections show the research production is now holding steady at 75 percent with completion estimated by around next Saturday."_

John got serious, "Okay, that's good, and how is our situation at the academy?"

"_We have a strict allotment of select chemicals that we, of course, must take an account for every use that we implement_. _Also, Amy wants you to spearhead the designated system purge research. She wants you to start the research tonight at the minimum because to extrapolate the proper data will take at bare minimum five days."_

" Very well. I'll get on it and hook up the data node alignment as soon as I get off this call. Also, I sent in our sister's dossier on the Lyoko Project before I went to work out. How are the computations coming along?" John asked as he scrapped his dishes.

"_The proper computations are a quarter of the way from being completed after every line of code is properly documented to produce adequate feedback. Also, Breadbasket is a major success with the effects very likely to be fully felt here in the coming three weeks. Just this past week alone, we have seen significant growth in our Russian and Mongolian sectors. Those resources are per usual in transit to the allocation distribution at the usual twenty-five percent."_

"That's so good to hear. That production will more than sustain us in addition to swaying the seats to vote our way when election time comes around."

Then there was a steady knock at the door. Johnathan said, "Echo-10." The line went dead, and Jeremy took out his pistol and peeked gently out the curtain to the doorstep. No one was at the door. Johnathan thought, "Amy, come online; I need your eyes in the sky."

"_Right here, John, what's going on?" _replied the ever-calm voice in his head.

"I think Bletchley Park is compromised. I need a scan." He replied.

"_Drones are deployed now. Move to Kent." _Came the command.

Following his orders, John moved swiftly and silently through the main room and out of the back window. He looked around carefully, not seeing anyone around. John was quiet as he moved behind a woodpile. Taking his watch, he pressed a small button, and his implant resounded in his head, "Transfer begun. Anticipated completion in seventy-seven seconds."

Amy's voice came through his implant, "_Scan's report movement forty meters beyond your current position. Scanning for ID."_

A tense ten seconds, "_Identity confirmed as DSGE Agent John Underhill. Radio sweep confirms a small mobile unit two blocks from your position, sending Sniffer Two. Keep low to the ground, on your belly and inch back towards the house. _

John obeyed Amy's instruction and using the surrounding hedge as a cover he moved around the right side of the house, "Amy," John thought, "from my line of sight, where is the mobile unit?"

"_The unit is two blocks directly down from you. I advise moving along the hedge, move over it to the right and along the alleyway. Yolanda is en route to contain Underhill."_

John followed as recommended and soon came in sight of what he knew was an advanced engagement reconnaissance vehicle. "Amy, what are the specs on the van?"

"_Heavily armored and bullet-proof windows. Do you have your Specter-Node?"_

"Are you thinking a Tesla Maneuver?" John thought.

"_Not quite. Just take your Node and see if you can attach it to the vehicle's undercarriage." _Amy said.

John moved silently and quickly as he prepped the node and applied it just in time to the undercarriage of the vehicle. He moved from that position down the street and around the corner. He paused for just a moment to catch his breath.

"I'm so sorry, Amy. I'm sorry I compromised Bletchley." He thought.

"_It's no matter. The transfer is complete. To your left up fifty feet is a newspaper dispenser; the paper has already been purchased. Open the slot, grab the paper, and sit down."_

John obeyed and after grabbing the paper, he sat down and began to read the comic strip. He was a bit nervous, but he felt fine otherwise.

"_John, I'm going to get you out of this situation. But I am going to tell you right now; it's going to hurt. Do not move from your spot, whatever you see and hear that is all you are to ever report to those who take you into the hospital. You are Johnathan Barrow; you were sitting down to read the morning paper before you went back to Kadic to help with Jim Morales' class." _

"Amy," John said with a bit of panic, "what are you…"

The tires screamed as John's head jolted from his paper, and he looked as the reconnaissance vehicle came barreling towards him. His eyes went wide as he saw the flash, and a loud boom echoed throughout the area. The blast was so close it sent John soaring backward. He screamed as he was in flight, and then his body slammed into a parked van. John's body fell bloodied and reddened from the fire of the blast.

He groaned as he said, "My fucking back! Why, Amy?"

"_It's okay, John. Paramedics are on their way, and you will be taken to Lafayette Hospital just up the street. I have scanned your body. You have a bruised vertebra and one broken rib. Your bones will be set, and you will be cared for. I would never dispose of an artist like yourself. _

_You are my greatest infiltrator, and I intend to keep you and all others in my safe-keeping. Yolanda has terminated our nosy neighbor, and he has been disposed of. Do not worry; the pain will be temporary as I have a new assignment for you that is more important right now."_

The connection then was silent as the wail of the ambulance made itself known. The paramedics arrived to assess the scene, taking John they determined how he was, and he told them that he was in great pain and so they put him onto a stretcher and sent him directly to Lafayette. Yolanda saw this up the road as she had placed the body of Agent Underhill into the back of a garbage truck and she was heading now up the street.

"Fuck, Amy, did it have to happen like that?" She asked.

"_All threats have been taken care of, and now Bletchley will be relocated. John will be sent to your apartment as I know you have a full spare room he can use. I will send my van to supply him with any painkillers he may need during the stay at your residence. Both of you are now on Project Icarus, the details have been sent to your phone. Icarus is a far more subdued op, more in line with the location and there will be no anticipated pressure as John is in the eyes of the beholder, a victim of this incident. Now please, head back to Kadic, there are a few things we have to take care of before John is released in the next few hours." _

As Yolanda headed back towards Kadic, a phone-call was received at the Ishiyama household. Takeho answered, "Hello, Ishiyama Residence."

A voice, on the other end, replied, "_Hello Takeho, this is Rebecca Strong from Sentinel Sanitation Solutions. I was given your name by recommendation of your employer Joseph Emerson."_

"Ah, yes. How may I help you, Ms. Strong?" he replied.

"_My plant manager, Johnathan Barrow, was injured in an apparent bombing. I need your services as part of his defense to keep the vultures of the press at bay that I'm sure will be there as soon as they know my manager is involved."_

"Of course, Ms. Strong. But there is the small aspect of the fee for such an immediate requ-"

"_3,000 Euros have been deposited to your company account under our company name. 3,000 Euros a day for six days if needed. Do you accept?"_

Takeho felt his cell-phone vibrate, it was a text from Joseph Emerson, "_Ishiyama take this defense now! Brief me as soon as you are alongside the client!"_

Takeho replied, "Of course. Of course, Ms. Strong. I'll be on my way as soon as possible."

"_Thank you for your help, Takeho. Sentinel Sanitation Solutions thanks you for aiding us in our time of need."_

The call ended as Takeho hanged up the receiver, "A bombing?" he said to himself, "What the hell?"

_**AN: Please read and review.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Johnathan lay in the hospital bed; the pain was far more easy to bear now he was wrapped up. He had answered the doctor's question, and as his injuries were minor, he was released near the beginning of the afternoon. Sure the pain was bad, but John knew it was more than manageable. As he headed out of the hospital, Yolanda waited for him at the door along with Jim. Surprised at this, John decided to keep things as casual as he could.

"Hey, how's it going?" he asked with a smile.

"How's it going?" Yolanda asked, "You were in a car blast; how do you think it's going?" Ho

"Technically I wasn't at the epicenter which could have been a lot worse. I was blasted out of my chair and slammed into a car. it could be worse Is what I'm saying." John replied as he gently embraced Yolanda and shook Jim's hand.

"Hey, Jim. Good to see you. I'm surprised." John said.

"Hey, when I heard about it on the news and saw you on one of the cameras, I had to do something." He said, returning the smile, "We at Kadic look out for our own."

John nodded and then asked, "Where's Hennie?"

Jim replied, "Hennie? Oh, Ms. Schneider? She's still with Suzanne. Hertz. She asked me to come and check on you."

John nodded, "I understand. Hey, Jim, did you get everyone's orders for Chinese?"

"How can you think of eating at a time like this?" Yolanda asked.

"You know that whole getting blasted out of my chair by a car exploding thing? Yeah, I'm kinda' hungry." John replied with a grin.

"Unbelievable," Jim said, "You get blasted nearly, and you walk out of it completely fine."

"Eh, what's a broken rib and a bruised coccyx? So long as I can rest and heal up over summer, it'll be fine. Besides, being a lab assistant helps as it's hardly strenuous."

Jim shrugged, "Well, yeah. I see your point. Okay so off to eat. I got everyone's order. Do you want to phone ahead?"

"Nah, let's go and watch the meals be assembled. It'll whet my appetite, and besides, it's a very nice venue to sit down in. Have some strawberry-guava fruit-juice, and we'll all be happy."

Yolanda rolled her eyes, "Alright, come on. Let's go."

Yolanda opened the passenger door, and John got in as Jim got in back. Yolanda turned on her implant and John heard her voice in his head, "_We have a new mission. Project Icarus. The target is one of the sheep; the picture is in the glove-compartment under the ibuprofen."_

John opened the glove compartment and cracked open the bottle and took an ibuprofen and swallowed it as he took a long hard look at the picture.

"_This guy? Seriously?" _he thought.

Knocking twice on his armrest as Jim closed his door, Yolanda looked over at him, and his eyes darted at the picture. She nodded. He leaned his head back and gave a small sigh. John looked at Yolanda closing the glove compartment as if to ask, "Seriously?!" Yolanda looked back at him sternly and then she turned over the engine and pulled out of the parking space.

Back at Kadic, Ulrich and Odd with sitting with Jeremy at the table outside and they were watching him draw various blueprints and schematics for his robot for the contest against Herve. The process had begun since he had dressed from the shower and up until now, he had scrapped several excellent ideas.

"So, tell me, Einstein," Odd replied, "What's the design and function of this robot here?"

Jeremy seemed out of the realm of conversation as he focused on the range of the robot's extendable arm.

"Jeremy!" Ulrich said at a louder volume.

"What?!" Jeremy replied. Remembering himself, he said, "Oh. Sorry. The design is under the original premise of our former Kiwi Bot. However, as is the history of many great inventors, we cheat. See Herve is going to focus chiefly on a malicious software element whose goal it is to spread to as many computers as possible and cause a massive shutdown. However, any software developer worth his salt will design a very suitable anti-virus in combination with his virus. But see, Herve I know is going to cheat by waiting for my software to be practically finished before working on his virus, to hamstring my efforts."

Ulrich folded his arms, "Wait. You said the agreement was in that of the development of a virus, not an android. So how are _you _going to cheat?"

"Simple. A classic XANA tactic, misdirection. See, Herve and I are going to prepare several computers to inflect with our viruses. What I'm going to do however have half the virus on the CD that I install in one computer while using a small extendable antenna which will patch into the localized Wi-Fi and infect all the test computers en mass as all the computers will all use the same Wi-Fi network."

"So let me get this straight," Odd replied, "If that's the plan, then why build another Kiwi-Bot?"

"The plan is to have Herve so focused on his virus that he'd see the Kiwi-Bot and take it as I intend, a misdirection in itself. As I work on my virus and anti-virus components, the Kiwi-Bot will serve as a distraction for Herve as he undoubtedly will try and crack it to see what software it has onboard. There is a key-stroke logging frequency programmed into the very component of the hard-drive. So that no matter what Herve tries in what I'm sure will be various attempts to crack the system, every effort, every redaction is logged. As it's recorded, my virus will infect Herve's own breach software, and while that happens, a list of all his favorite methods and protocols be it breaching fire-walls or breaching whatever security protocols he implements will be sent directly to me because this virus is no typical infection. It is viral, but it is also a high form of spyware and ransomware.

In addition to breaching Herve's computer, I will have full access to his programming notes for a majority of his virus and when he develops his anti-virus as I know he very much will, I will like lock his antivirus behind my ransomware which will only release upon his admission of defeat."

Ulrich and Odd looked shocked, "So you're going to strong-arm him into defeat?" Ulrich asked, "I mean, I don't care for Herve, but that's a real low move."

"Hey, what do you honestly expect?" Jeremy countered, "Do you expect Herve of all people to play fair honestly? If he ever hit upon this idea, there's no doubt in my mind he'd very well use it. Besides, was XANA ever fair to us when we fought him? Never, because as evil an AI as he may be, he knew the reality of war, the enemy will always try and have some upper-hand."

"Yeah, but there's one thing you forget, Jeremy," Ulrich said after a moment, "You're not a fucking AI that longs for the destruction of humanity. I know Herve as I know you. See, Herve is very much a guy wanting to prove himself. For the love of Sissi, who is an airhead of the highest degree. Do you think he'd stoop to this level to defeat you? He wants to prove his raw genius as best he can."

"True but you must remember Ulrich, this is Herve we're talking about here." Odd replied, "Keep in mind, Jeremy is also right. Imagine how many underhanded tricks we had from XANA in his attempts to divide and conquer us. As much as X.A.N.A may have been a monster; you cannot at all deny that Jeremy's stance is unfounded. That would be like going in for a degree in college and be like my cousin did and switch majors which backtracked him rather than stick to his principles. It's like massive neglect of the knowledge you attain."

"Still, I don't think it's right that you go to this level, Jeremy. That's just my stance on it." Ulrich said after getting up to stretch.

"You don't think it's right, huh?" Jeremy asked, "Need I remind you of the time where we had the element of Herve blowing up Kiwi One?"

Ulrich sighed, "Still, that doesn't legitimize what you're thinking of doing."

"On the contrary, this is a battle of brain and brawn; we'll see who's mightier." Jeremy replied as he got up, "If you'll excuse me I have to calibrate Kiwi Two's memory components."

As Jeremy walked off, Ulrich looked at Odd, "Why is he so deadest on winning this in particular when he never cared about it so much before?"

"You gotta' bear in mind Ulrich, now that Einstein can't return to the past as much as he'd like he only has one real shot at this. So for him, he's pulling out all of the stops as he knows it's exactly something that Herve himself would do."

"So now he's out of his technicality generator, what he's going to play as dirty as he can?" Ulrich asked.

Odd got up, "Don't play innocent with me. How many times did you memorize Sissi's questions to avoid her nagging you? Or the attempt to keep Yumi here by rigging the lotto. Same with me and my mess-ups with Heidi."

"Point taken. Come on, let's see what Yumi's up to. Rumor is her dad got a big protection thing." Ulrich said.

Odd being inclined, followed along and both headed to the Ishiyama residence. As they approached they saw two new cars in the driveway. Ulrich rang the doorbell, and Yumi answered. She put a finger to her mouth and motioned for both to come in. It was quiet for the moment.

Yumi gestured and spoke softly, "Sit down. Dad just got a new job working for the new Sentinel Solutions company."

"Oh yeah?" Odd asked, "What's the job?"

"It's protecting one of their production managers I think. He can't say and won't say much else. I'm only talking like this right now because he and mom are out to eat to celebrate this, but also they left several audio elements around the house. So, that's why we have to keep quiet."

"Why all the security this is kinda' out of the ordinary don't you think?" Ulrich asked.

"I know, but it's about the client that he has. Apparently, the government is looking into Sentinel Solutions, so dad has a few places under both video and audio surveillance. But that's mostly in his at-home office in back."

"Gotcha, so do you wanna' hang out for a bit or are you busy?" Odd asked.

"I gotta keep an eye on Hiroki for a bit, but it doesn't mean you can't tell me what's going on at Kadic."

"Right," Ulrich replied, "Well Einstein is going to pull a XANA on Herve. They're doing a whole virus competition instead of their traditional fare; you know robots?"

"Why is Jeremy going to pull a XANA on Herve?" Yumi asked, "Traditionally he's very above-board when it comes to his usual battles of wits."

"Yeah, but it's like I told Ulrich, Einstein can't use the return to the past as much as he' d like so now he's going to pull out all the stops. Now the way he has his plan lined up, it is right out of XANA's playbook."

"So when is this little showdown?" Yumi asked as she got up to get a drink of water.

"Knowing Jeremy," Ulrich replied, "he's probably going to have the whole thing finished in four days. Without Lyoko to keep him occupied half the time, he has all that brainpower left over to focus on other things."

Yumi came back and sat down, "No kidding. I'd advise you do your best to keep an eye on him. Two egotists going at it, it's bound to have a few interesting results. By the way, how's Aelita?"

"She seems to be alright. Why?" Odd asked.

"No reason, just curious. When Jeremy's around, usually she is."

"Not all the time," Ulrich retorted.

"As a general rule, that's about right actually," Odd replied.

At that moment a car was heard to pull up to the walk, and Yumi looked outside, it was her parents. She motioned to Ulrich and Odd to head out through her bedroom window. Heeding command they moved like lightning, softly and quickly. As they got to her room, Ulrich went out first down the downspout then halfway down he let go softly to the ground. Odd followed suit and both lay just under the kitchen window.

"I told you, my employer was very direct! And besides, for 3,000 Euros a day, you shouldn't be complaining!" Takeho said his voice a bit slurred indicated he'd hit his choice drink a tad early.

"Oh, you don't find this suspicious?" countered Akiko, "A company gives 3,000 dollars to protect someone from press, and the person is what? A manager of some kind but what sanitation company ever needs lawyers at three thousand Euros for a simple down payment, you're telling me you don't find that the tiniest bit concerning?"

"Hey, payments are payments, and I didn't see you complaining on the way to the bank this evening!" Takeho said.

"How dare you ever speak to me that way?!" Akiko yelled back.

"What I do for Mr. Emerson keeps us here in France, it keeps us in an excellent situation, and you want me to compromise that for the sake of your conscience?! Really?!"

"Oh, and what are you going to do? Slave away working for that arrogant asshole, busting your ass to line his pockets?"

"Look it may have been your father's way to slave away as a punch-clock and never get anything out of it, it isn't mine! You know why? Because unlike that sorry, miserable bastard, I'm doing the Catch 22. Yes, I punch that damn clock, Akiko. I work to make my business run on the side and build it up to where I can work on my own, then I hire people to help me using my system and then in time, I'm sitting pretty right where Emerson's at!"

"Don't you dare talk about my father that way," Akiko replied.

"Guys, will you just fucking shut up!" Yumi screamed as she bolted out the door and headed off towards Kadic.

Ulrich and Odd broke off and went after her catching up to her in time. The tears were streaming down her face as she slumped against a tree and sat down. Ulrich and Odd sat on either side of her. Ulrich knew this was complicated. It was already bad enough when Yumi faced heading back to Kyoto the first time. That took a miracle but also, he knew secretly it was because of Yumi that worked at all. As much as he wanted to say words of comfort, he knew in certain situations; such words only made matters worse.

Odd said, "Look, I'm going, to be honest here. I don't know what all you're going through; I thought your dad was a machinist, not a lawyer."

"He's….he studied engineering only as a minor. A lot of his schooling was in law. That why after Takahashi fell through as they did, he went to the father of a friend. Emerson is his name. He's not at all a bad man, and he's very kind. But mom doesn't trust him. She thinks he's in bad company."

"Well," Ulrich began after some hesitancy," if it's any consolation your dad is right, I mean 3,000 dollars a day for however long is something most would die for."

"Yes, but you know my mother well enough to know that she is extremely cautious of overly lucrative deals. In her experience, which is true the more I listen and observe, the greater the sum offered, the greater the risk of a secret getting out." Yumi replied now having thoroughly dried her face. "Look it's not a problem, in my stance, I'd sooner have us worry because we have too much than have too little."

"That's a great way of looking at it." Odd replied, "Hey, there's this great new Italian place in town called _Signore Leonetti's. _Or there's an equally great new Chinese place that opened up nearby. What do you feel like? I'll treat. I've saved up enough money to get us all a meal there."

"Are you sure?" Ulrich inquired, "It's a bit pricy from what I hear."

"I'm sure. I went to look at their menus before I decided to make it a night out for all of us. The plates aren't that bad in terms of price, and I've heard, great in quality."

"You know," Yumi said after getting back her composure and standing up, "that sounds just amazing. Let's get Aelita and Jeremy, and we'll make a night of it."

"Awesome," Odd said with a smile as he whipped out his cell-phone and began to dial.

In an hour, they stood before _Signore Leonetti's _front doors or as close as they could be as both the quality of the restaurant from a combination of critical review and word of mouth had boosted the numbers too vast proportions. The wait time was fifteen minutes which was more than fine for them. The very smell of the place from the back that came forward was majestic — a wonderfully subtle and robust blend of savory and sweet.

"Oh, these smells are amazing!" Aelita replied, "I can't wait to get in."

"Yeah, I heard a lot of good things about this place and so has everyone else," Jeremy said as he sat on a small bench nearby.

Yumi looked at just the façade as she made the observation, "It looks so huge, I can't imagine the number it truly holds. It's got a full two-stories and a basement."

Odd said, "I think it could easily hold oh I don't know-maybe one-hundred twenty. But we'll see. But I'm excited to try the Rigatoni or Braciola."

Ulrich took a breath, 'It smells awesome, I don't deny that and what makes a meal like this better is that it feels like there's a good rain coming on."

"How does rain make a meal better, Ulrich?" Aelita asked as she sat beside Jeremy.

"Oh, it just, to me at least makes it cozier. Rain, a nice warm meal, traditional cuisine. Oh yes, perfect in my view." Ulrich replied as he leaned on the façade of the building.

"You know," Yumi said as she stood beside him, "I think you would be right at home in a gothic novel."

Ulrich chuckled a bit, "What are you talking about?"

Odd laughed, "No, truly think about it." Effecting a Russian accent, "Doctor Ulrich Stern, mad doctor; poet of visions; and creator of the impossible dream!"

Aelita laughed, "Hey, that's, that's not at all a lousy premise!"

After an extended period of small discussion soon their button vibrated to notify them their seats were ready. As they entered, they were amazed at the beautiful décor of the restaurant. The walls were marvelously frescoed with Roman-style going from east to west into progressively modern ending finally in Baroque. The floors were a grey-black brick that was so amazingly polished that for brick it had an elegant sheen. The smell was even more entrancing than the bare glimpse they got outside. Basil, Sage, Thyme in combination with the scent of the natural oils of the meats marinating coming from the kitchen forward served as the epitome of ambrosia to the team.

"It smells even better inside," Aelita said as she sat down closest to the window.

"Oh yeah, it's awesome in here," Jeremy said as he moved in next to her with Odd as the third on the booth's end.

Yumi and Ulrich sat down as the fresh bread was put before them in two baskets. As Jeremy broke the bread and handed a potion to Aelita then to Odd, he bit into his portion and said, "Oh my god! Guys, this bread is freshly made! It's truly home-made! Have a taste."

As they bit into the bread, the creamy sweet butter combined with the hot and chewy texture made for an experience second to none.

As they continued in their celebration, a young man got onto his phone, and he made a call, "They are here as we guessed they would be. The time to move is now."

The man closed his phone, and the meal at _Signore Leonetti's_ continued for the Lyoko Warriors. Meanwhile, Johnathan and Yolanda were at her apartment which was very well-furnished and quite clean. There were several plants around that legitimately were medicinal plants. There was a small window-box herb garden which grew fresh spearmint, basil, and cilantro.

John was sitting at Yolanda's table, going over the critical elements of the operation's economic endeavors. The system itself was made up of a combination of culinary and health constants. Of the systems they had set up since the start of the operation, they had seven primary income operations with three moderate income operations. However, what made the operation rich was the exploitation of the lack of finance. They had instated many prime location twenty-four-hour laundromats in the heart of several major cities in which they made the most of things with vending machines and prime-time satellite television That particular operation codenamed The Suds raked in the equivalent of 15,000 dollars every month. With a majority of this sum, money was equally laundered and just as similarly used to attain vehicles, weapons, markers for enforcement among other benefits to progress this operation along in how it was desired. Even Kadic was not immune from this as their drinks and confection vending had been provided for by its respective operation branch for over four years.

Yolanda came up beside John, "How are we looking on the income front?"

"A majority of our incorporated elements are doing very well; we've even seen a rapid boost from our American operations. We must thank the country for its immigration stances for that. And our culinary elements are doing fabulously in Russia as well as Italy and Australia."

"How's Operation Pure Air?" Yolanda inquired further as she sat down with a cup of jasmine tea.

"Going right on schedule with Enrique on course for what we must do concerning that realm of our oversight," John replied as he finished his calculations and then locked away the account book in his briefcase.

"So as for Project Icarus-what are your thoughts? Johnathan asked as he sat back down at the table.

"It's not at all unfounded. We know our target, and we know this project has seen many wearers of the name Icarus. There's always a certain amount of risk with it, as with anything. However, the project has never been a failure with our continual building on our prior work."

"I'm not worried. Amy knows what she's doing. However, do you think the target can handle this all at once?"

Yolanda took a drink of her tea and said, "That's why we take the orchid approach. We gently mist the plant; we don't douse it with a firehose."

"True. And our team has already reported back, everything we needed to put into motion has been done and Amy's engineering several ranges of specialized scouts for us to take onto the field to have our backs from now on." John replied.

"Yeah, I know. Henny is going to bring us some variants of them." Yolanda replied, "She should be here in thirty minutes or so."

"Indeed. I don't blame Amy for taking this route. I mean in light of what happened recently, I can't blame her at all." John said as he turned to look outside, "What kinds of drones did Amy say was on the development block for these drones? I ask because I know she's a rigorous experimenter in these things."

"I honestly think she's going for subtle-stealth with all the capabilities of having a hacking team present. I know for sure that one of them will be more of a semi-level stun drone."

"Huh, interesting. Well, at any rate, it will be a lot more interesting to have a drone as a standby in case we need to do something more fine-tuned."

Within the next few minutes, a knock was heard at the door. John got up to check the peep-hole while Yolanda took out her weapon. John opened it

Hendricka came in. Seeing Yolanda with her gun ready, she said, "What? Are you going to shoot me?"

Yolanda put her weapon away as Hendricka put a case on the table and opened it.

"Fresh from the factory," She said as she activated one of the drones. 'The STU Spider-Drone. Specialized microfiber setules allow the namesake of the drone to climb along walls, on top of the ceiling, and through most grates. The operating ocular piece is like a liquified contact lens. Put it in, and you see what the drone sees. It's been outfitted with a specialized lethal mechanic in the form a tranquilizer gas emission system as well as a built-in stun gun and multi-phase probe to jack into computer terminals and extract or decrypt encrypted data.

This next drone is the Rolley Polley, a simple spherical device containing a built-in arsenal of lethal and non-lethal darts that have a variety of effects from disorientation, tranquilization, to nausea or diarrhea to serve as handy distractions to get enemies out of the way. More lethal darts have small charges of plastic explosive that Amy has concentrated in construction to have the force of an M-80. If it doesn't kill, it'll sure as hell deafen almost anyone in an enclosed space. The sabots are specialized so that as soon as it pieces the skin and gets wet with blood, the explosion will go off two seconds later.

The drone's ocular lens is also a transmitter to wirelessly transmit code much akin to how a remote television works. Once the system has been calibrated by the internal database, access to a computer is possible through the transmitter in time becoming accustomed to individual processing manufacturer codes for select models. All this allows this drone to very much function in the form of chameleon skeleton-key."

Yolanda listened, "Hmm, very good. What about encryption?"

"Every signal in all the drones is calibrated to our implants so once we are hooked up to our drone of choice; it comes heavily encrypted to mask a vast majority of tricks and tactics we use regularly. Every drone here operates under the Allocation of Effort Method in that once a connection is made, for every phase completed, the works are shored up by our devise encrypting it with the Hydra Protocol, and then the next phase is completed. That way, once we access a portion a permanent back-door is established in another area of a defense system's programming or semi-permanent based on mission parameters."

John and Yolanda looked at each other and nodded as John replied, "That's amazing."

Hendricka shrugged, "Amy has had nothing but time to work on these systems so yeah, we have quality stuff right here."

Taking the last drone from the case, Hendricka said, "And this is The Assembler. A specialized drone whose built-in repair functions are designed compatibility to all our designated weapons, tools, and vehicles. Using inspiration from the Spider, it has the same range of mobility as well as the hand ability to scan an entire object for all systematic damage both in regards of internal systematics as well as external physical. It can send an advanced data supply ahead to whenever you check into our operation weigh-station everything can be replaced quickly and efficiently.

The Assembler can fix most forms of minor and moderate damage to our technologies through pre-programmed nanite capsules that need to be restocked after every use. The nanites can reconstruct say for example a car engine albeit minorly while in motion or majorly while inactive. Thus, you never have to lose time on a mission being at a shop.

Also, this drone has a lower box as you can see," she pointed to the fist-sized oblong box underneath, "within, the Assembler can make a smaller copy of itself for more fine-tuned and narrow means of engagement. The secondary Assembler called Forge is designed to be more of a hacking infiltrator able to set up nodes to most corporate modems and once this back door is active, to have full access to all computers and devises on that Wi-Fi connection. It also has a tiny transmitter to send the Worm Protocol into other technologies such as other corporate AI. Once inside, it overrides and controls that system entirely. At the operator's discretion the system can spread to others on that similar link and using this we can take over an entire automated system to work for us in segments so that the parent users don't notice our presence near as much."

"Where did Amy come up with a lot of these?" John asked.

"A lot of it came through the various phases of the past work on the Icarus Project," Hendricka replied, "she's hoping that with this new iteration just as much progress if not more can be made. That's why she wants you both to keep your eyes open in one area, while I keep watch in my designated position."

"Well, give her credit, the lady knows what she wants. As for my selection, I'll take the Assembler. Because since I'll be healing for a bit, I can use this get around covertly in my stead. Oh question, can any augments be made to it?"

"Amy told me, you'd ask that question, and she told me to tell you, the short answer is yes. Both the Assembler and Forge have both a built-in screwdriver and Allen-wrench with interchangeable Phillips and flat-heads with three sizes utilizing the most commonly used for vents, modems, and automobiles."

John smiled, "What can I say? The woman knows me."

Yolanda then made her selection, "I'll take your Spider-Drone, I have a solid feeling it will be of use later."

Hendricka gave Yolanda the corresponding contact lens, and after two seconds, the voice came on in her head, "_Operation Charlotte Online."_

"What's Operation Charlotte?" Yolanda asked.

"It's the Spider-Drone Second Protocol. Now that you oversee a mother drone, you have full access to all other spider-drones of other operators on the field. You can now scan an area, lock onto digital signatures that show from cellular phones to show your enemy's position. Also, if you so choose, you can have custom-order lesser drones to correspond to your one so all the actions you have in this one drone, you have in others to have a small army at your disposal of the field. That's why Amy is going to send you a backpack holding four others so you can go in and out of a location and none be the wiser."

Yolanda patched into the contact lens, and she was able to see everyone in full crystal quality.

"The video feed on this breathtaking. Everything is so crystal clear."

"Indeed, the Spider and Assembler both have night-vision and thermal vision so you can find anyone no matter how dark it is."

John then asked, "What's the charge life on these drones?"

Hendricka replied, "All drones have battery life after a charge of four hours. I also have charge strips so you can charge these at home or in your car en-mass."

John plugged into the Assembler, and after syncing it up, he heard the voice in his head, "_Unit Cloak Online. Master Assembler is now active."_

John said, "So how do I see what the Drone sees?"

Hendricka gave him sunglasses, "Through this. There's the traditional civilian view. And then if you flick your eyes to the right, you will see everything through the perspective of the drone. From here, everything is operated by your eyes. For example go over into Net Search."

John flicked his eyes to the right and then saw a streamlined and ordered heads-up display. Going over to Net Search the lends then went into an alternate view which had a small screen in the bottom right corner. It seemed to be an audio-scope with an arrow as he focused in on the gauge and gently turned his eye, the indicator moved as well.

"This is a learning curve, that's for sure," he said, "how do I get it to move?"

"Okay, focus on the lower right-hand side of your screen," Hendricka instructed, "you'll see an audio-scope as soon as you focus in on it turn the arrow with your eye as if thinking to go right or left."

He did so, and the scope seemed to become more abundant with activity. As this happened the drone turned to focus on the source; in this case it was Hendricka's phone.

"Okay, now what?" he asked.

"Now go to the overview on the top of your HUD that reads Commands then focus on "attain."

John followed the direction and immediately the smaller drone, the Forge came out of the oblong box beneath the main drone and proceeded to climb Hendricka' leg then jump to her coat and then into her pocket. A function came up to John's display, _Launch Connective Interface, yes or no?_

"Now it's showing me I have an option to launch an interface." He said.

"Good. now, think no."

He did so, and the no option was pressed.

Experimenting, John entered the navigation menu and he thought of the options presented, "Return to dock." The Forge drone proceeded to leave Hendricka and returned into the oblong casing entering standby mode as the view returned to the Assembler.

"Whoa, so that's how it works. I gotta' play a little bit with this." John said.

"There's a tutorial function which will let you scan this room and set up simulated targets so you can learn their function," Hendricka replied.

"Just found it." He replied.

Yolanda said, "So how does my drone work?

"Simple. Sit down." Henricka instructed.

Yolanda did so.

"Now, I have one of two options, you can use the contact lens as I gave you, or you can have the sun-glasses like what I gave John. Which do you prefer?"

"Which do you recommend?" Yolanda asked.

"I would recommend the sunglasses as you have far more liberty of thinking before you order the drone to do anything."

"I'll take that then."

Hendricka gave Yolanda the sunglasses and took back the contact lens.

"Now, as I said to John, move your eyes to the left and a menu will pop up."

Yolanda did, and she now saw through the drone's lens.

"Now, for the sake of these demonstrations, there is an audio receptor I have turned off. But while you are in the field use this, and you will hear what is going on around you so you can adjust how much noise you make or how you move. Now, remember, both of you. Your thoughts are tied to the menu. Look at a button, and think about pressing it, and it will function."

Yolanda tried this, and she activated non-lethal prep. A timer began to count down from seven seconds.

"Oh, I think I see. So, if I want to." She said, and then she moved to the navigation menu and thought about heading forward and headed off the table. She thought about turning left and going up the wall, and the drone obeyed to the letter.

"So let me, see if I want to adjust the camera from that angle," she thought out loud and she saw the camera move on a swivel to look back at her. She thought zoom, and a menu popped up for magnification options she tried x2 and the camera adjusted.

"Whoa! This bot definitely is an upgrade!" she said as she went back to the menu and activated the option return to me. And the drone came back directly into her lap. She thought, shut down. And the drone folded its legs inward and turned off.

John finished with his tutorial, "I've got the hang of this." He said as he ordered the drone into shutdown. Taking off the sunglasses he said, "Now, what is the security around these?"

Hendricka replied, "As they are calibrated to our implants, they respond only to that individual signal, and that said a _willed _signal from you. That means that if a civilian found your glasses, they'd have a pair of very nice sunglasses and if you lose them, don't worry. Use your implant to tell Amy you did so and she'll terminate the connection and get you a new set. That way our neighbors can't use them against us, and if they did, she sends a signal that marks those glasses for one of her units to eliminate the problem or retrieve the glasses."

Yolanda replied, "Give it to her; she thinks of seemingly everything."

John nodded, "Yeah, but it's natural considering how long we've been doing this project. She learned from a lot of all of our early mistakes, hers included."

Hendricka nodded and sat down after closing her case, "Yeah, she updated me about a few of our operations. Her children are now nearly fully lined up. The Pure Air Initiative is nearly complete; we're very good on our intake of funding and her out-reach program in Paris is getting us some good skill and muscle as well as some others out of Yorkshire and Blackpool."

"Sooner or later, I knew she'd go that route." Yolanda replied with a smile, "She's brilliant. Soon enough we'll have the rest of the lynchpins in place. But right now, for all of us it seems, Icarus in the next step."

"Well it's not that we're at all doing badly. We have the culinary services going well. We have suds going well. And not to forget we, of course, have the Engineering guild in Japan and China to help with most of our stuff and it's quality not like what America gets." John replied.

"China treats the U.S., no differently than Britain treated them, leading up the revolution." Hendricka replied, "Of course they keep the better stuff for themselves and their friends as any nation does. And besides we aren't at all worse for wear from it because to keep our other aspects going Amy orders in bulk but quality bulk, so our monetary operations stay afloat."

"Speaking of blending in to blind the public, how did the faculty react when you brought them food from our Chinese locale?" Yolanda asked.

"What, you mean after they asked me ceaseless questions about the bombing?" John replied, "It was okay; it's just this is the epitome of a tight-knit academy. Back when I scoped out operations in the heartland of America while Yolanda here was transferred to Kadic, I came across this anomaly in terms of the small towns.

The towns were very close-knit. Everyone knew everyone, and so when I was under-cover it was hard to honestly make a move without someone learning about it be it through word of mouth because everyone knew everyone, or their scanners for local police and fire and sometimes, the next town over. But I was grateful for being put in that situation as it is helping me to navigate Kadic."

"Oh, I know," Yolanda replied, "It's very much a learned place, and it's a place of routine, sure, but that routine can fluctuate a bit, especially regarding the Lyoko Team. Yes, they did multiple returns to the past but just as XANA became stronger, so did my ability to master the true pulse of Kadic Academy. That's why as you two get situated I can instruct you on how to read situations of both scheduling and people as well as what areas to avoid and when."

"Exactly." John affirmed, "I have to remember; you have been at that school, oh for the better part of eight years while we were in different places."

"Besides, with what you can teach us, we can affirm Kadic as a secondary substation for our operations as a whole." Hendricka replied as she then checked her phone, "Well, I must get back to the teacher's dorm. I have to placate Hertz and learn her criteria tomorrow to be prepared when fall semester starts."

Yolanda replied, "I wonder how long it will be till' she discovers you're grossly over-qualified."

"Tah, if she does, as with most others it won't be until it's too late." Was the reply.

Hendricka got up, stretched and then she reached into her pocket and took out three small discs, "These are for you two. Breech Sensors to override modem locks of any institutions you think would be worth the project's investment."

Yolanda and John took three discs a piece and bid Hendricka goodnight. John got up and said, "Well, I think it best to get to bed. We both have an early day tomorrow of we're to sufficiently get started on Icarus."

"We've already made the first move," Yolanda said, "The only thing left is to observe the fallout from what we've done."

John nodded, and he went to sleep on the pull-out couch in the living room while Yolanda went to the back room. Meanwhile, the Lyoko team were headed back from a beautiful night and meal. As Aelita and Jeremy approached his room, they noticed the door was open slightly. Jeremy opened and saw that his place seemingly untouched. Looking around to be sure, he then saw his desk drawer was ajar.

"Oh no," he opened the drawer and dug through it, "No, no, no!" Jeremy yelled as he grew increasingly more frantic.

"Jeremy," Aelita said, "What is it?"

"The schematics for my virus is gone, but what's worse, my master-key of the super-computer manual is gone!"

_**AN: Please Read and Review**_


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: PLEASE READ: This chapter is the first which turns the fic into an M rating. I knew it would eventually get to this point and so I warn you now, there are instances of explicit language and a graphic death scene. If you do not like this, then please, wait until my next posting which follows the aftermath. You have been warned. **

Chapter 6

"This can't be. This can't fucking be!" Jeremy replied as he began to frantically almost feverishly pace the room. It has to be Herve it fucking has to be! Who else would be in my room and for what other reason." He sat down for a moment and began to breathe to calm himself.

Aelita sat beside him, "Help me understand, what makes your master-key of the manual different from the others you have given us?"

Jeremy sighed and then said, "The Master-Key held variations of return to the past as well as how to directly factor in not only virtualization but materialization. The very same process I used to bring you back, that same process could be used to bring forth any creature XANA designed. Even in a non-XANA scenario, if someone can figure out the input variables and ratios, then they can bring any creation to our reality."

"And you think that Herve has this notebook?" Aelita asked

"It's the only explainable element. Anything to get ahead in a bet that we made. I for sure wouldn't put it past him."

Aelita asked, "Do you have a bobby pin?"

He looked at her, "No, why?"

"If you suspect Herve, I can pick the lock, and you can get into his room and have a look around."

He nodded, "I'll ask Emily. She's just up the hall."

"Better I ask her. You know, because you're a man, why would you need a bobby pin?"

Jeremy nodded, "Point taken."

Aelita smiled, "Be back in a bit."

In ten minutes, Jeremy and Aelita were sneaking towards Herve's room. As Aeilta handled the lock, she was very cautious in opening the door. Gentle snoring could be heard from within. Before progressing further, she motioned to Jeremy to back off.

"Too risky," she said as she very gently closed the door, "we'll come again during breakfast."

"Thanks, Aelita. We'll take care of this after some good sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

As they headed back to Jeremy's room, Jeremy was now relaxing that he had a form of plan to deal with Herve. As they reached the door, Jeremy gave Aelita a kiss goodnight and headed inside while Aelita headed towards her room.

Jeremy sat down on his bed, and then he lay down as he reflected on what he knew was Herve. "_Not above cheating, Ulcrich?" _he thought, "_Wait till' you get a load of this." _

Taking off his glasses and changing into his pajamas, Jeremy reflected just how much of the virus program Herve fell for. But what concerned him just a bit more was the Lyoko Master-Key. But thankfully he hid any reference of the location of the factory and so while Herve may have the command codes as well as by-pass codes, there's precious little fear that Herve would ever discover the super-computer. Closing his eyes, his mind was now at ease as he began to drift off into sleep.

Meanwhile, Ulrich and Odd were fast asleep, being full of dinner, and as both dreamed they saw something strange and bizarre. They dreamed that they were approaching the factory and as they watched, they saw several teams of not people but a seeming form shadowed of creature. As they dreamed, they saw the creatures painstakingly disassemble the super-computer segment by segment. They watched as the creatures loaded each large section of the server into crates and sealing them shut. The boxes were handed off to another team which was then loaded into of all things a _Black Forest Reserve _truck.

Ulrich wanted to see if he could try something, and as he focused he was able to drop in front of one of the creatures. The shadowy vale seemed to dissipate, and to Ulrich's shock and disgust he saw a blued face of a young woman as if in the form of half-life deprived of oxygen but the eyes of the creature were sunken in with the left eye that of a specialized almost digital eye. But this was all Ulrich could see as the creature pulled out a shotgun from the mist around it. Ulrich's eyes went wide as he felt the barrel press into his gut. The creature pulled the trigger, and just as the creak of the trigger was heard, he and Odd bolted awake.

"Odd," Ulrich said, his eyes wide.

"Yeah?"

"Did you just…"

"Dream about the super-computer?"

Ulrich nodded his head, and both looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"We need to talk to Jeremy," both said suddenly in unison.

Three minutes later, Ulrich and Odd were knocking at Jeremy's door. After the fifth knock, Jeremy emerged, and he wiped his eyes, "Odd, Ulrich." He yawned, "What's going on?"

Both entered, "We need to talk to you." Ulrich said as both he and Odd entered.

Odd sighed, "Let's cut right to the chase. Jeremy, is it possible after so long in the super-computer that there's something that you may not have considered? Mainly that the super-computer has artificial intelligence that's alive and we act as satellites of it?"

Jeremy rested against the wall as he adjusted his glasses, "Um…what?"

"Listen, Jeremy," Ulrich began, "Ulrich and I had a dream, and we were inexplicably linked. We shared the same dream. That the super-computer was being deconstructed, crated and sent off but frankly undead looking creatures."

"Have you guys been watching Dr. Shreg again?" Jeremy asked

"No!" both said in unison.

"Look, is it not possible?" Ulrich asked

Jeremy looked at the two of them, "You're serious."

Jeremy got up and said, "The only way to be certain is to check on the super-computer but guys, it's not been that long at all. And the manpower to move the super-computer, let alone deconstruct and crate it, would take a monumental move of effort."

"Jeremy, these things we saw, they were human and yet, not." Ulrich replied, "Like it was an entire set of groups to disassemble, crate, and put it onto trucks. How long would it take in your mind?"

Jeremy looked at them, "In all reality if you had dedicated groups that know what they're doing, it would take four hours at most."

Odd then inquired, "And what about the super-computer itself having a conscience?"

Jeremy sighed and got up, "Look, the only intelligence that functioned independently was XANA all through our time with Lyoko. The only other force was Aelita, and even though she has Keys to Lyoko, without the computer itself being active, she can't access anything. But to say the computer itself has conciseness; I do think it's a bit of a stretch."

Ulrich countered, "But is it truly outside of the realm of reason? Honestly?"

Jeremy replied, "I can understand sentient AI, I can even understand the virtualization of a girl into cyberspace. But a computer itself having sentience? Where is it derived from?"

Odd thought about it, "Well, is it not possible that as we are getting rid of X. . we essentially make a vacuum and so to fill the vacuum, our portions re-scanned and integrated into a larger system?"

"So, wait. You're saying that you think the computer has sentience forged from all our time with it and it's using it as a—Protection?"

"Yes, yes. Exactly." Odd replied, "I want to see if this is correct, we can go to the factory and see if what we saw was correct."

Jeremy looked at the clock, 11:30. He sighed, but secretly he was hoping that both were incorrect. On the other-hand with the theft of the master-key to Lyoko, it would make more plausible sense. But even as it did make that much more sense, he dreaded the real implications.

Jeremy said, "Give me a sec; let me get some caffeine in me."

Going to his bed's bottom drawer, Jeremy took out an energy drink and chugged it as fast as he could.

"Okay," he said a bit more alert, "let's check this out. We have to go along the east as everything else is pretty well locked up."

Ulrich and Odd nodded, "Alright, let's get going," Ulrich replied.

The group headed out down through the dorms they made it down to the second floor just fine. None had seen them. It was different being out truly this late; everything was seemingly dead silent. Thus they had to be quiet. Making it down to the first floor, they listened with all their ears and then gently but quickly began to make it down the central hallway when a voice yelled.

"You!" the voice was firm and sincere, "Stop and turn around."

The three boys turned around and saw Johnathan just behind them. How he got there, they were not even sure as they had not heard him.

"What are you boys doing out of bed in the dead of night?" he asked. "I understanding sneaking in at this hour, but out? Something's up. Now, what is it?"

Jeremy, Ulrich, and Odd were stunned for speech because they had not honestly thought of an excuse.

"Come now, boys." John said as he stood perfectly still before them, "what is going on that can't wait?"

"I agree," came the voice of Jim as he came around the other end of the hallway, "what can't wait?"

"_Crap," _Ulrich thought, "_how did they catch onto us? How did they even know?"  
_

Ulrich put his hands up, "I'm sorry, guys, you're right. There's nothing that can't wait til' morning. May we please go back to bed?"

Jim nodded, "Smart, Stern. Perhaps the smartest thing you've said all year. Come on, back to bed the three of you."

As the boys went with Jim and John back upstairs, John checked his watch, and then he sent a message to Yolanda through his implant. He knew everything was moving at Amy's factory just as planned. He knew the necessary procurements were in place; he just had to be sure. Each student was now back in their rooms, and Jim locked both doors.

"I'll be back for you both prompt at 6:30, so you can wash up," Jim said to all three as he locked the door on them.

Jim focused on John, "Thanks for alerting me as to how this whole mess worked. For a while I've been trying to catch them, but not had any luck. How did you know?"

John replied with a smile, "I just had to take into account your traditional route and if I were a bunch of teenagers, to have them be attentive to your schedule."

Jim nodded, "Very good, very astute thinking."

Meanwhile, Amy was overseeing the finishing touches on her children. Yolanda was managing the finer details along with Hendricka. The process by which this was done was an immense marvel of ingenuity. Everything that had been amassed from the past years' advancements had been cataloged and in some cased tweaked to accommodate for a variety of what the team knew to be constant factors.

As Yolanda walked on the gang-plank high above the vats she asked, "Amy, you are making noted variations of the original design, may I ask why?"

Amy replied in Yolanda's implant, "_The reasoning should be self-evident. If not, then rest assured you will very much be made to understand in due time."_

Hendricka oversaw the finishing touches, and as the numerous adjustments were made, the thought in her head was, "_Amy has indeed learned. All these models, their designated functions. It's as clear as day what is happening here. But why this particular method in Vat A and not in Vat D? They look the same-But if I had to bet money, odds of one-hundred to one says they aren't."_

Amy's voice came over the loud-speaker, "_Hendricka, please report to the lower platform and follow the instructions as I tell you."_

Hendricka reported to the power platform to a large console of levers and buttons. "_Now, pay very close attention, we'll enter this through phases so as to be sure of precision combination and implementation of the combination." _

Hendricka obeyed as commanded and step-by-step she observed the guts of this operation roar to life. The vats in the far corner, ingredient by ingredient rose to the marked off levels. Another phase entered into the command console, and she saw the ingredients in the vats begin to steam and in time boil. Another input and the mixture was masterfully calibrated and measured into specific doses. The final input and the concoction was directly infused dose by dose into the designated vessels.

Hendricka saw this process, and she knew only a portion of what went into this mixture, but Amy had not led anyone astray so far. She was silent, but inwardly she was thinking, "_This is well and truly amazing. If this formula is akin to the prior formulas, we used a few years ago, then she's attempting to win over the medical egg-heads as well as the scientific fields of the country at large."_

Soon Amy's voice came over the PA, "Ladies, would you like to hear the story of The Banquet?"

Hendricka and Yolanda looked at each other, and Yolanda said, "Sure, Amy. Tell us the story."

"_Very well. Once upon a time, there was a strong and hardworking man named Sydor. He labored for years and years, even into his middle-age to provide for his daughters. One day, he hosted a magnificent banquet as he and his daughters supped off the fruits of Sydor's labor. As they ate, a thought grew in Sydor's head. A feeling he hoped was wrong. _

_He asked them, "Dearest children, what will you do once I am gone? What will you do to help better the world as I have worked hard to help better you?"_

_So preoccupied were his daughters with eating and drinking to contentedness that they did not seem to hear him. Sydor asked the question again, "Daughters," this time a bit louder, "What will you do to help the world once I am gone as I have helped you in my age?"_

_The first daughter answered, "Well, Papa, I wish to use what you have left me to broaden the mind in terms of what is acceptable in terms of cultural norms. Too long have we been under a form of tyranny of old that new breath needs be brought into the equation."_

_Sydor nodded, his heart growing more troubled._

_The second daughter replied, "As for me, Papa, I would prefer to expand our technologies so as our people would have far more practical use of time than to toil and work needlessly in the sun. So as to enjoy life and enjoy the talents that God has given us."_

_Sydor was quiet for a moment, and then his heart burned both in sadness and anger as he said, "You fools! Do you behold this banquet I have set before you? None of this is possible save for the labor of one's hands and the even greater task of using one's grit and determination to not spend so much that you could enjoy this banquet. And what do you propose with what I will leave to you? _

_One of you proposes to do away with venerated tradition, the tradition by which our feast is built upon. The other says, to make machines to do our labor for us, so we have a more considerable time of leisure to do as we desire. Fools! How insensitive and stupid but also heinously lazy you both are! Because you have answered me thus, I shall give the portion of your inheritance to your handmaidens because they are of more sense than you. You, my dearest children whom I struggled to provide for my whole life and now, you grow fat and lazy and can only dream of ways to become even more so._

_He turns to his first daughter, "You aspire to have a nation of artists, a nation of the liberated mind, free of traditions which you feel hamper your creative expressions. Suffice to say, dear daughter, you need to learn to keep your artistic visions to yourself for without tradition and value to reign you in, you will give air to whatever depraved thought that enters your mind without regard for those who see it. Art should, for the large part be a hobby, not a lifestyle. The world seeks not to be entertained all the time. If that were to be embraced, our nation would fall in on itself due to that no one minded the elements of the innards of what powers our nation, that gives us clean living, and many other luxuries. The nation needs workers to make our nation have a heartbeat."_

_Turning to his second daughter, he said, "Consider the jobs you take away from those you believe you are alleviating through the saving of manual labor. Those people may not be the most intellectually capable, but their strength is what helps to define them. You take this occupation from them, and you rob such people of their purpose."_

_Sydor then taking a breath said, "It is not wrong to wish for the means to expand and hone your craft. But when it comes to the detriment of the nation at large, that is when you need to look inwardly at what problems can be fixed not just for you, but for the people as a whole."_

_The End._

Both Yolanda and Hendricka pondered the tale as the factory's functioning worked in its rotation adjusting chemical dosages as well as the precision pour of metal into castes. Yolanda looked to the side and saw the stockpile that Amy was amassing, enough and in truth more than enough for what she knew the operation was going to be. But as was Amy's philosophy: Why lament what you could have had in the future when you have all the time to properly prepare in the present? Hendricka herself was amazed yes at the stockpile, but at the lengths not only Amy but Yolanda and Franklin had gone to procure the necessary resources.

Hendricka went over to Yolanda, and she asked, "Where did you find all of them?"  
Yolanda looked over this process before her eyes as she replied, "It wasn't easy. A little bit from here and there. But Franklin took a bulk of the weight for the supplies."

Hendricka thought a moment or two and said, "Still, seems an awful lot for this, don't you think?"

Yolanda replied, "Amy has her purposes, one of them as I've studied the older cases is to negate adverse mobility for key operations down the pipe. She wanted freedom of movement, and I have to applaud her, I never thought I'd see this approach."

"How long has this project been going on or at least this particular part?"

"Oh, what…the better part of four years. We had a few hiccups early on, but we were able to make up for that lost time with the Clean Air Initiative."

A buzzer went off, and Amy came on the PA: "_Thank you very much for overseeing production tonight, ladies. You may return to your regular operations until such time as phase three is active." _

Hendricka asked, "When is phase three, Amy?"

"_By best estimated projections, within the next three weeks." _

That said, both women scanned their cards and after given a tongue scan, they headed back to their living quarters.

Yolanda was deep in thought while she lay down to sleep. She knew what a lot of this was gearing up to. Amy had designed the perfect system to get into critical places where the operations would meet a hang-up. The projections were precise by the daily progress of the various projects leading up to the whole. The civilian and military engineering guild was now in full swing, and Clean Air was just a few days from completion. The agricultural export centers were filled to bursting from the sectored farming in Russia and parts of Poland. It all was lining up. But the master-stroke while long in the tooth for preparation, when the hammer came down, it would be not a thundering smash but the gentlest tap to what Yolanda was aware of the glass casing of the worldly society.

Hendricka as she prepared to hear Suzanne's lecture tomorrow and for the first time, show her face officially to the students, had larger projects on her mind. She knew what she had seen, and while she wasn't as new to the project as Johnathan or Yolanda, she knew what very much she was witness to. Some of the greatest form of expansion and progression of medical science as well as a seeming miracle of evolution to the death equation. She was skeptical when Amy had invited her to join this endeavor all those years ago, but the more she observed, the more her fears were abated. She had confidence in what she had seen especially after the progress she had seen in lesser projects up to this point. It was clear that by now,Hendricka was standing on the cusp of the purest form of revolution in motion. Not just a revolution of the people, but a revolution of the way of thinking, the revolution desperately needed as she saw the truth, needed to help save people from themselves.

Morning came, and Jim unlocked Ulrich and Odd's room followed by Jeremy. They came out and immediately what Odd had to do was relieve himself as he bolted for the restroom. Jim knew such a thing was not uncommon but the more he listened to Johnathan's theory of safety monitoring for the students, the more he knew this whole disappearing would be progressively less of a problem.

Ulrich came out of his room, and as Jeremy came to meet him in the hall, he said, "Well, last night was a bust. But admittedly this long without someone catching on was bound to happen. So, what now?"

"The system remains the same," Jeremy said as he leaned against the wall, "We go to the factory before lunch. Jim may be onto us, but he can in no way be omnipresent. So, we'll go and check on the computer. After that, we'll see if your computer sentience theory holds water."

Odd caught up to the two in the hall, "Wow, talk about giving us Alcatraz, huh?"

"Yeah, Ulrich and I were talking about it. It was bound to happen eventually." Jeremy said as they headed to breakfast, "Face it. Jim is a creature of habit, but now he has fresh eyes on his side some avenues of what we do may have to be changed."

"Who was that guy anyway?" Odd asked, "One of the new guys?"

"Yeah," Jeremy replied, "John Barrow, he's going to Jim's new assistant and also working with the other new teacher, Dr. Schneider. He's her laboratory aide."

Ulrich chuckled, "Johnny and Jimmy. Sounds like an intro to a comedy routine."

The group laughed as they headed to breakfast. Jim meanwhile observed this little ribbing and thought to himself, "_You wait. This comedy team is going to kick your asses_."

Johnathan came alongside Jim and said, "Hey, Jimmy. Want to get some real breakfast?"

Jim nodded, "What's on the menu?"

"Classic eggs and bacon, buttered toast with raspberry jam and a drink of iced tea."

"You Americans are a strange bunch. I never will understand why you ice your tea." Jim said as he walked with John

"Oh, you have to understand, it's amazing, especially now with summer approaching. Sweet, refreshingly cold and well you must experience it."

"Alright, well first time for everything," Jim said as he followed John into the very generous teacher's lounge.

Aelita by now had joined the boys in the cafeteria. As they told her of what happened last night, she was as usual, practical. So, she knew the plan was to check into the factory during lunch, which was fine as it was more than enough time to do a simple check-in and see if the theory Ulrich and Odd were proposing was accurate. Not that Aelita had doubts. After seeing the effects of XANA she had resigned herself to the understanding that almost anything was possible.

As the plans were made, breakfast concluded, and as they got up to go, Jeremy saw it. He immediately went to Aelita and said, "Sit down, please, listen to me, and sit back down."

Ulrich darted off for the infirmary. He banged at the door which Yolanda opened, "What's going on?"

"Miss. Yolanda, we have a situation. Aelita is well, just come see."

Yolanda followed Ulrich quickly and saw the situation, "_Ah shit!" _she thought and took a small radio she carried with her, "_Mr. Morales, Mr. Barrow please report to the cafeteria, stat."_

In no time, the regular footfall of the two men was heard, and they came to see what the matter was. John saw this and said, "Jim, get some towels from the infirmary, quickly."

Jim darted off and in no time came back with several towels. They took a towel and made an impromptu diaper for Aelita while Yolanda escorted her out while John put on a pair of latex gloves and began to thoroughly clean and disinfect the seat and surrounding floor.

"Move on!" Jim yelled, "Nothing to see here; get moving!"

The group of girls and guys moved out of the building while Jim came up beside John, "This isn't your first time."

"Nah, menstrual cycles used to be a regular occurrence at times. When you work with a lab-full of women, their timeclocks synchronize. As grotesque as that sounds, Jim, the reality is worse. I only feel for the girl. You know what snakes these kids can be."

"Yeah, but no worries, Yolanda will take care of it," Jim replied.

John nodded, "In the meantime, get me some bleach and a roll of paper towels. I want this as cleaner than and OCD sufferer's bathroom."

Jim nodded, "Sure thing, be right back."

Meanwhile, Aelita was filled with an overwhelming shame. Yolanda held her by the hand as she said, "Please Miss. Stones, don't worry. This is a very natural part of your life. I'm just sorry this happened when it did."

She took her radio, "John, are you available? Over."

"Nearly done. What's up? Over."

"Bring Miss Stones some sweatpants, please. Over."

A moment's silence and he said, "Jim's on his way with some clothes from gym supply. Over."

Aelita put her head in her hands, "I just can't imagine what the others will say."

Yolanda put her hand on Aelita's shoulder, "Hey, their time will come. Those who laugh at you, give them two years tops and then we'll see who has the last laugh."

Aelita smiled just a bit and Jim came in with some black sweatpants. Giving them to Aelita he said, "Here. It's all taken care of Yolanda, everyone's on their way."

Yolanda nodded, "Thank you, Jim. Miss. Stones will be back out in a little while.

Jim closed the door and the rest of the Lyoko team was there and he nodded saying Aelita would be back out presently. As he headed out, Jim sighed thinking that it was above all things an eventful way to start the morning.

John meanwhile finished cleaning the mess that was left and it was back to how he like a room, clean, cold, and sterile. Once he'd disposed of everything, he checked his watch and decided to head up to the lab to see Hendrika. As he went through the halls John made small mental notes such as the height of the windows to the ground, any accessible drain pipes to climb down; he also made a note of the primary objective. He knew the reason Kadic above most locations was chosen. It was not so much for just its seclusion, but it's access to their antenna. He looked at the antenna from the window. It was not a bad make, but he knew it could always be better. That said, John was not going to worry about so much the quality as the purpose. He took a photo of the antenna, and once he forwarded it to Franklin, he continued onward to the new lab.

Upon entering, John saw Suzanne going over her lesson plan with Hendricka with a noted hint of enthusiasm, "And so," Suzanne continued, "as we compile the lessons steadfastly as stepping stones to greater studies, we can be sure that a majority of the students will have what I'd like to call compounded knowledge."

"Excellent thought, Suzanne," Hendricka replied, "Please tell me, of the aspects of the sciences the children learn here, what would be best to work most on as they advance?" Hendricka silently motioned for John to head back to her office.

"As much as I would love for many of my students to be affluent scholars of chemistry, many of them only have the puerile capacity to be interested in the base applications of pyrotechnics. They love explosions and blasts of fire, sad as that is."

"Can you fault them, Suzanne? They're semi-advanced children. Of course, they love flash and spectacle, I'm sure you did as a child yourself."

"Of course, I can understand that but if the children do not have a base grasp of the fundamentals, they won't get their loved spectacle."

"Well one step at a time. We can instill in them very much the love of chemistry, that is not a problem. But the danger is that you are starting them in the aspiration of the love of chemistry on the high-school level. By then it's too late. You need to have a foundation rooted in early learning even to have an element of passion for carrying over. I suggest that for the next batch of children, we instate a kind of by the philosophy of the number to instill within the children a passion for the subject. That way, it will be more gradual. This means however you will have to expand on the building blocks of your piers if you desire to have this effect."

"And just what do you suggest I have been doing, Dr. Schneider? Twiddling my thumbs and doing nothing?"

"Not at all, Suzanne. However, you lament this lack of passion because there is no passion. Sadly at some point, the students have lost interest. But what you must do and you're not going to like me for saying this, you are going to have to be more approachable than you are. Engage your students, give them a hands-on portion of demonstration that enables them to see what you speak of isn't quantum theory but simple chemistry. Empower the student, don't dull them down with indoctrination. But also, let the student make a mistake or two. That is all I am suggesting."

Hendricka's watch beeped, and she said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Suzanne, I must meet with Mr. Barrow to discuss our upcoming curriculum using your blueprints."

Suzanne nodded, and Hendrika headed back to her office. Shutting the door, she then poured herself a cup of coffee. As she sat down, she shook her head showcasing her annoyance.

John looked at her and said softly, "Patience, my friend. She's not been introduced to your system yet. It just takes time."

Hendrika nodded and began writing on a piece of paper and handed it to him. It read, "_I've heard from Enrique. The second phase is near completion. Amy is ready to move with stage two just as soon as you have secured our insurance."_

He looked at her and replied in sign-language, "No worries. Insurance has been bought and paid for. Stage one is prepared, and everything is set to go neatly into phase two. Give Yolanda credit; she did her homework before sending us a blueprint."

She nodded and signed back, "And when will stage one be ready for implementation?"

"Just as soon as you order a pizza this Saturday. Jim and I are going to watch the big fight tonight, and I'd like to be fed before the operation begins."

Hendricka nodded, "Very good." she said.

With the start of the day finished, the Lyoko team realized it was reaching lunch. Jeremy checked his watch, and he looked over at Aelita, "I'm sorry Aelita." He said quietly.

She looked over at him, "Apparently it's natural, no matter how humiliating." She replied just as quietly, "Now please, let's focus until lunch."

Jeremy nodded as he was waiting his turn in class to climb the rope which hung from the ceiling. He knew his core strength or arm strength was not the greatest but he had his confidence. Jeremy knew it was just a mental barrier. All the same, he knew this was a challenge as once you were at a certain height, the desired goal was to swing back and forth across a set of six parallel ropes.

Jeremy knew that if he could defeat Herve in this regard, it would serve as a beautiful precursor to beating him soundly with the run on the track. In time, his name was called. Jeremy went up to the rope and looked up. He took a deep breath as he saw the rope going a full fifty feet off the ground the ribbon was at the top.

Jeremy reflected on Johnathan's words, '_The barriers we have on ourselves are self-imposed for the most part.'_ took hold of the rope and began to climb, higher, higher. "_Almost there, don't look down." _He said mentally, and he continued to climb, higher, higher, and still higher. Two more climbs and he'd have the ribbon. "_Don't freeze, don't freeze." _He said as he went one more climb higher. He could hear the cheering faintly as he focused on his goals. The last rise, he made it, feverishly he unhitched the ribbon, tied it around his wrist and saw John on the platform across from him.

John smiled and gave him a thumb's up as he pointed to the right, and Jeremy's mind flashed back to his focus. He reached out and grabbed the next and the next rope. He didn't stop, "_Just like the monkey-bars just like the monkey-barks."_ In time he made it to the end and turned using the swing around to catch the rope on his return and began back and back and he slipped. He fell, and as he fell, he was in a moment of panic and then his hand as if Jeremy were watching his movie, flashed forward and grabbed the rope in front of him. The weight of his body pulled on his wrist, and there was a rolling tightness that screamed in his wrist. Jeremy clenched his teeth and looked down; he had fallen half-way. He climbed back up to near the top and then swung for the last three. The class was cheering down below, but he didn't hear them. Making it to the first rope, he tied the silk back up and then climbed back down.

The whole class was cheering and Jeremy sat back down beside Aelita. She laughed a bit and kissed him on the cheek, "You did very well."

"I've learned Aelita. I've learned to conquer my limitations." Jeremy replied.

"Well done, Belpois!" Jim said clapping, "Pichon, you're up."

Herve got up, but Jeremy noticed there wasn't any angst on his face but determination. He rubbed his hands together and then began to climb. Jeremy was amazed at the speed and strength of Herve's climbing as in no time at all he was near the top, he'd tied the ribbon around his wrist, and he swung with the grace of a professional, one rope to the next, to the next and not only did he do it once but he completed the circuit twice. Tying the ribbon to the top, Herve then came back down. Jeremy saw it in his eyes, a fired determination to truly crush him. Was Jeremy intimidated, no. But he was very much surprised at this turn of events.

As the class now cheered for Herve, Sissi asked Jeremy, "Hey Jeremy, do you think you can beat that?"

Jeremy's blood began to grow hot, but he saw John above the class motion to him, as if to say, "No, save it for later."

"The only thing Herve has proven, Sissi," Jeremy replied, "is he's physically capable. Which is something considering he couldn't do this to save his life before."

Sissi was about to retort, but Jim said, "Alright, Alright, that's enough. Stern, you're up next."

As Ulrich continued to do the rope challenge. John sat down on one of the weight benches upstairs. He saw this was just as he and Amy theorized before he came to Kadic that the most unlikely people could also have the most extraordinary capability. He would be patient now as the rest of the night carried on. The plan was very nearly set. The pieces were in position, and now all that mattered was to let the clock wind down to zero hour. There was a whole day and a half left. But he also knew that things could always change.

Over the day, the Lyoko team went about their classes in the usual fashion and in due time, lunch arrived. Utilizing this time wisely, the team darted off and as they did so, John and Jean-Pierre watched them from his office window.

"I simply cannot understand, John, why you would insist on letting them return without repercussions," Jean-Pierre said after watching them disappear.

"My answer, Jean-Pierre is very simple. You see, they will come back. That is what they do. But I would like to approach you as you are the chief overseer of this academy that we have bracelets for the students to solve this very problem. I work at _Sentinel Sanitation Solutions, _and we have a very similar non-invasive process. Every shift is dictated strictly by timetable every division is marked off by keycard. Every keycard automatically logs you into the clock of that schedule, so we are always on time, and we are productive and above all _present. _You see, if we have keycards for these children, we can very much keep track of them, and they will not be off-premises without authorization first.

Also, you can use these to gain access to the grounds proper. Meaning that even when you have a loophole like this, the students taking off during lunch, we have a full physical perimeter that is very well-established. Therefore, we can have proper safekeeping of the children here and help monitor any illicit activities."

Jean-Pierre sat down in his chair, "I do see your point. It keeps things very much in line and on schedule as it should be. And what about those who would need to use the lavatories?"

"For those necessary functions have sectional portions of a class go to the bathroom at once with oversight. The teacher can oversee this, and any that leave the room will have an alert go out to faculty. And by keeping group aspects in this manner you can minimize individual trips."

"For the infirmary?"

"The student goes up to the teacher, asks to go. The teacher has a scanner in her distinct bracelet that turns the pass green for the infirmary and allows for travel to there. If the child need be sent home, a call from those in such a position can easily be made and that student released for the day."

"Mmm. It is an excellent system, and you said that your other job as overseer at _Sentinel _had familiarized you with this concept?"_ Amber and Reese_

"Yes, Jean-Pierre through the element of the company's sister company _Amber and Reese Security." _

"Very good. Well, Johnathan, I will very much consider it. But you understand this may take some persuasion of the board. But if you can convince them as you have me, then we very well may have a solid deal in the workings. Do you have a card for _Amber and Reese_?"

Johnathan gave him the card, and Jean-Pierre put it into his Rolodex, "Again, I thank you, John. I've often wanted to have some degree of finer oversight of the children that was non-invasive. But I must stress, I don't want to have them treated like prisoners."

John nodded, "Jean-Pierre, through my experience, I assure you. It is not a prison mentality it is simply checking in and out of classrooms in accordance with time schedules. In colleges which they will be going to it is no different."

"I am aware of that, John, more than you may realize. But again. I thank you for your opinion."

"Of course, Sir."

As John left the office, he looked at the satellite once more as he headed down the hall. They'd need it eventually and the groundwork to attain its use was almost ready. He received a text on his phone, "_Enrique's transit is near complete. He will join Franklin to set up Jupiter's Bolt." _John forward the text to Yolanda and Hendricka. Feeling a bit hungry, John went out to his car and drove a small distance to _Signore Leonetti_ and ordered some Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.

The lift door opened, and Jeremy did a system check as Odd checked the server. After a thorough scan, they found any, and all components were complete and unaltered.

"Well, everything's here guys," Jeremy replied, "there's no major problem, nothing's been carted off, nothing."

Ulrich and Odd looked at each other, "But it was so real." Odd replied that we both had the same dream, "How is that possible?"

Jeremy shut the system down, "I think I know what it is. The truth is none of us can quite shake the habit that for a good while we've gotten into. Battle XANA the rush to get back to school and make truly great decisions to stop a great source of what only can be said to be evil. As much as we all agreed to the shutting down of all of this, well…I guess we're just not ready to let go just yet."

"B-but… what I saw, those creatures, the super-computer being carted away…" Ulrich said.

Jeremy put his hand on Ulrich's shoulder, "I understand. I do. We a tremendous difference by and large for all that we did and now well, it's just over. It's hard for all of us Ulrich."

Ulrich sighed and then the team headed back up in the lift. It was a quiet ride up and as they headed back home, Jeremy thought, "_This is a lot harder on some than I expected it to be. But it doesn't help if we keep coming back to it either."_

They returned just in time as everyone else was headed back in Odd groaned inwardly as he knew that Mrs. Meyers class was up next. On the heels of a lousy night of sleep, the class of death was sure to make him sleep into the next century.

Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre was sitting in his office, looking at the card that John had given him. He remembered Jim continually complaining that the group had been up to something for some time. However, this was becoming more and more evident, first with Jim and John catching Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremy last night trying to break out of the school in the dead of night. As Jean-Pierre sat, he began thinking. He knew he had to be harsher in terms of enforcing rule, but it wouldn't seem justifiable to the board to overhaul an entire campus for the sake of a few kids alone.

As the group finished Mrs. Meyers class, Odd seemed as if he had seen death in face. He had been so annoyed that Mrs. Meyers seemed to single him out for every complex question. It was beyond frustrating that she never seemed to call on Jeremy at all for complex questions. But, the day was over he wouldn't have Mrs. Meyers for another day.

"Hey, guys," he said, trying to get the class off his mind, "wanna hang out tonight and watch TV's coverage of this new thing going on in Russia?"

"What's going on in Russia that's new?" Aelita asked

"There's this new agriculture movement to make the most of some of the land that's in Siberia to help expand the bread-basket of the world. It sounds pretty cool as these guys are trying to make grand farms out of the wilderness."

Ulrich chuckled, "Sounds like the premise for a survival show in which case that's right up to TV's alley. Besides TV on this kind of thing, doesn't seem his style."

Yumi replied, "Well ever since he made the network mad with his big hit piece on the sensationalism of underground fighting, kinda' how he glorified it, rumor has it that he has been put into a lower area. He's the epitome of sensationalism to me anyway."

"But the sensationalism is what makes it work!" Odd replied with a laugh, "Ah, Yumi; you need to watch quality television, not just old gangster films."

Aelita shrugged her shoulders, "I'll watch with you; sounds interesting."

"Alright! Trust me, Aelita you won't regret this. Bring Einstein to so you can translate for him."

"Hey!" Jeremy retorted.

The group burst out laughing, "Oh, we're sorry, Jeremy, but sometimes you do go a bit deep on the techno lingo." Aelita said with a smile.

Later that evening, Jim met up with John in his new operating center, a small house not at all that far from the school. John ordered some ribs for the two from a local smokehouse, and they settled down to watch the evening fight.

"Ah, this is great, thanks for inviting me," Jim said as he sat down on the couch.

"Thanks for accepting my invitation." John replied, "So here's the thing I didn't know if you wanted sweet or savory. One is honey barbeque while the other is a more traditional rib fare."

"I'll take the traditional. I am more of a savor man than sweet." Jim said as he got comfortable.

"Ah, that's' good. It's better for you. Go ahead and get the fight. Channel 59." John said.

"Alright. Oh, by the way, I brought some beer. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, please put it in the fridge, so it stays cold. The fight won't be on for another five minutes at least."

Jim put the six-pack in the fridge, and John checked his phone. No messages just yet. Taking a chilled glass from his fridge he said, "Here have a true cold one."

"Awesome, thanks, man. I knew I'd like you the moment I saw you." Jim said with a laugh.

"Hey, I'm just an ordinary guy just trying to make it, same as you," John said as the both headed into the living room.

Meanwhile, the Lyoko group settled down to watch TV's new special. As it began, the premise was set in regard to Siberia that it had been seen largely as an uninhabitable land. The ground, for the most part, was far from ideal as the Atlantic's benefits were cut off from the Ural Mountains and the mountains around Central Asia. However, as the series progressed, much was revealed to the Lyoko warriors. Under the Terraform initiative land of the Siberia was being cleared to make way for industrial-scale greenhouses to support a broader spectrum of harvestable plant and root life.

The greenhouses were powered through a vast network on high-altitude windfarms centralized along the Ural Mountains and the mountains of Central Asia. This power source accompanied by hydro-electric powerplants derived from the Volga, Don, and Angara rivers were used to calibrate agrarian industry on the desired scale.

While TV continued his coverage of this special, the Lyoko warriors were silently amazed; They honed in as TV continued with his interview with the mind behind this initiative, Lucy Holmes. Lucy explained, that with the Terraform Initiative she was looking at vast quantities of land that while they may be harder for settlement by people, there was nothing to say that greenhouses could not be set up for autonomous operation so that all that need be done in those areas was to have people come in and harvest what had been planted. Everything in terms of plant care would be used through programmed directives and the trimmings from the industrial farms would later be converted to specialized compost to enrich later crops further.

As the interview continued, the group listened spellbound and then suddenly pops were heard as TV said, "What's going on?"

There was seeming panic ensuing as people were moving around frantically and security came on the scene. Then the pops were heard louder, much louder as the security fell to the ground bleeding.

"On your knees!" yelled the voice, "on your fucking knees, Thomas!" the voice continued to scream.

A camera was knocked over, but the group could still see from Thomas' legs up to his shoulders as he knelt quickly.

"Please, please, you don't have to do this!" Thomas pleaded, "Look, I understand that things weren't the greatest in our work, but it wasn't my choice!"

"Don't you lie, to me, don't you fucking lie!" the voice of the woman said.

"Why is it still broadcasting?!" Aelita said.

"I don't know!" Odd said as the team watched in stunned silence

"I'm going to expose you and this shit-show for what it has been from the beginning. I work for you for ten years, you dismiss me without a reference, and you have the station not even give me a layover until I can get on my feet to get a new job. And let's not even go into the shit that you do every month to test the other anchors!"

Jeremy watched, "Is that Edna?" he asked.

Sure enough, Edna's face was seen for just a moment as she put Thomas directly in front of her, "Get that camera up, now!" The camera was adjusted and now it showed Edna standing over Thomas with a pistol to his head.

"Please," Lucy said, "Don't hurt hi-"

Edna fired three shots into Lucy's chest, and fell backward solidly, the force of her head hitting the studio floor sounding with a crack.

"Now, Thomas," Edna said, "You're going to tell them about what you did to become this city's most celebrated anchor. You're going to tell them about the various deals you made to become as celebrated as you are. Did you want -12 for your material? How's about -18?"

A voice said behind the camera said, "The Police are on their way we have two minutes."

Edna nodded, "Finish what we need to do. Sabotage the antennas, plunge this place except for the transmission into a total blackout."

In no time, the lights went off around Edna and Thomas except for one section directly overhead.

"Hurry, Thomas; we don't have that much time left," Edna said as she fired a bullet into his shoulder.

Thomas screamed as she said, "Do as you always instructed me to do! Smile through the pain! Smile through the Pain you won't feel it so much tomorrow! Come on, Tom, your audience is waiting! You have ten seconds before I give you the rating you always wanted."

Thomas gave a gut-wrenching scream as in just that second a tremendous blast ignited from underneath Edna's jacket, and in horror the team watched as Thomas was vaporized in the fire, and at that moment the camera went dead, and the station went out. All was black. The Lyoko team looked at each other in genuinely stunned silence. It was quiet in the dorm, so tranquil. Silence so deep that even the children breathing seemed to mock the unholy calm.

Odd was the first to respond, in a whisper, "What the hell was that?"

John, as he was watching a commercial with Jim, had a message from his implant, "_Operation Clear Air is completed expect a call in five minutes."_

John excused himself, and at that moment, the phone rang. He picked up, "Hello?"

"_Hello, John, this is Jean-Pierre. Uh…I don't know how to say this, but after what has just happened," _there was a gasping sob_, "We need to implement the security you talked about."_

"Take it easy, Jean-Pierre, talk slow. What happened?" John asked.

"_We….we just need the security you promised!" _was the fearful and angry response.

John hung up the phone, and John returned to Jim saying, "Jim, turn on the news. Now."

Jim turned on the news, and across the bar, it read: _BREAKING NEWS: Sister Station 14 News destroyed in suicide bombing."_

Jim's eyes went wide, "Oh my god." He said, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god."

John put his hand on Jim's shoulder, "Now, James, we're truly exiled from Eden."

_**AN: Please read and review. From this chapter onward will be rated M. **_


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: This chapter will be my last for a while until my recent poll is completed. As this may be the first time you know my survey, it is to help me determine the rating of the story going forward. As a result of some of you just finding out, the poll will be open for a full week from my projected end-date. So please, read this chapter. Enjoy and Review. Thank you, everyone, for your support, and without you, this production would not be anywhere near as much as it is. -Pagliacci-11**

Chapter 7

The morning came, and the news was more than saturated with the events of the night. Fire crews battled the blaze of what they could as best they could. But the studio apparently had several blasting charges, not just the charge on Edna that tore through main sections of the studio. The city was shaken to its core, what was once a peaceful and secluded area was now a nervous frenzy. John entered Jean-Pierre's office, and John noticed the old man looked like had the epitome of a rough night. Sitting down silently, John let Jean-Pierre collect himself.

Amy's voice came through John's implant into his head, "_Remember this is the standard procedure. The man is greatly shaken. Listen more than you talk and console him, comfort him in this time."_

John heeding this advice sat silently, and all that could be heard was the tick-tock of the clock on the wall. The slow, steady ticking making a beautiful form of music. The look on Jean-Pierre was that of pain, fear, and doubt albeit thinly masked under the guise of courage. Taking off his glasses, Jean-Pierre cleaned them and then put them back on his face.

"The fact of the matter is this," Jean-Pierre began, "We know now the full extent of what has happened practically in our backyard. You have told me of the good of _Amber and Reese _and its security of _Sentinel Sanitation Solutions. _I want that here for Kadic. I don't care so much about the conduct of a few students, I want safety for our Kadic family at large, and we need it sooner than later in the wake of the bombing."

John nodded, "I understand Jean-Pierre. What would you like me to do?"

"I know you are bound to have connections within _Amber and Reese. _You practically sold me on their security system. I am appointing you as security oversight officer to look over its implementation as well as instructing our students and teachers."

"I don't know quite what to say, Jean. I don't. I mean I don't think I'm exactly worthy of that."

"I've spoken to your oversight officer at _Sentinel._ She spoke very highly of your ability to coordinate and lead major team functions and do so within exact timing." He leaned forward and said, "John, even I know you are grossly overly qualified for your job here. I'm asking you, please, help me."

John leaned forward, "If this is what you truly want, I will help you to get it. I will make my call as soon as I leave this office. But, Jean-Pierre it will require a visit to _Amber and Reese _headquarters in the north of the city and I will be gone most of the day. I say this because I promised Jim to help oversee and build on his work with the ninth graders."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "You're noble. I like that. But this is a direct order from me, go to where you need to go and get what you need to be done completed. The security of the children comes first. Then we can focus on their physical fitness."

John nodded and stood, "Very well. I'll be back by this afternoon with a rough-overview of what we can expect."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Thank you, John."

As John headed out, he stopped and asked, "How do you know if I'm overly qualified?"

Jean-Pierre smiled, "Jim speaks very highly of you and your conversations with him, and as Jim may jump to conclusions, he is generally an excellent judge of character. Also, I researched your prior work history. Why did you truly come here?"

John was silent a moment and said, "Because I wanted to leave my old life behind, and I wanted a fresh start where not as many people knew me."

Jean-Pierre noticed this slight change in demeanor, "What do you mean? Your past is filled with all manner of exemplary service, especially regarding the scientific field."

"Yes, but there's the weight that comes with that as well, Jean-Pierre. And when you accepted my application and then accepted me into this, you helped me to become suitably removed from that."

"And I'm glad you decided to come and join us alongside Dr. Schneider. Please, help me secure our students and faculty, and when that is done, you and I can talk more how to give you a new chapter in your life."

John smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Jean. I'll be back soon."

John stepped out of Jean-Pierre's office, and he thought into his contact stream with Amy, "_Prepare Phase Three. It's all set to go."_

Amy replied, "_Everything is already in production. We have designated bracelets and keycards being printed for each student and teacher. They will be ready for demonstration in the next few hours. Take your time with this. Enrique has already salvaged our work from Edna, and I'm proud to say that phase three's groundwork has proven very fruitful. We now can accelerate a few programs to ensure longevity of our other projects."_

John understood this and as he went into his car, and turned on the radio most of all that he could hear was that of the bombing that was broadcast on the air. The feeling of fear and lament was throughout the area and as John knew this was just part of the process. The fear they all felt now was part of the birthing pains of progress.

It was as Amy explained to John years before: That the people at large will not accept or stand for too much change at once. Everything had to be in a steady and measured dose not so much that it overwhelmed but rather that public became numb and in time fully accepting of the change. The world was a collection of control groups for different policies. It was like what John had seen more and more in the conventional markets. There was no such thing as coincidence, and there was certainly no such thing as a plan without forethought. Everything he knew was a calculated risk with fallout very much factored into that calculation. He knew that people like Amy preyed on the simple-minded. But the simple-minded were not so much for the aspect of exploitation as it was to line the pockets of her higher operations.

John also knew that Amy saw time and time again as he did, the endless patterns of corporate greed that over time would fill the veins of its leaders with the thirst for more and more and more. This thirst would lead departmental heads to cut costs, abuse their labor, and through their greed run themselves into the ground. Amy knew this which is why for her the construction of her various operations around the world was not allowed to grow too large.

It was as Yolanda said in dinner between them one night, "You know I have come to think of Amy's work as the epitome of the hundred-handers from myth. Hands that have all manner of purposes, but they serve a greater organism's growth at large. If you and I stopped to think about it, through necessities, Amy has turned into what I think is probably one of the richest entities when it comes to world power. She provides some goods herself and other goods she acts as merchant for. Either way, her placating the masses has led to all of us getting to where we are today."

Yolanda was right and now this newest endeavor with Kadic and more specifically Lyoko as its primary focus, he knew that in all reality, everything with Amy had a way of working out because she was not brash, she was not overly eager. She had let the Lyoko team do the dirty work for her once she had figured out Hopper's signals from his use of return to the past. Amy had been patient in allowing the team to do as they needed to do, to learn and now that their purpose was fulfilled, she desired very much to isolate them and eliminate them from the problem.

John in time arrived at _Amber and Reese's _corporate building, and he went in through the traditional entrance. Going up to the receptionist, he gave her his ID card, and she scanned it before affixing his bracelet to him. Using his clearance, John entered Lab O deep in the bowels of the corporate building, and he saw more than half of the cards and bracelets for Kadic were all ready to go. The very scale by which he witnessed productivity was terrific.

A young overseer came to him and said, "The production of the order is near complete Mr. Barrow. We will have our specialists come and install the system and distribute the trackers by this afternoon."

John nodded, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Ms. Amy has overseen that every bracelet differs in its capabilities per grade of students. The higher the grade, the more engaging she makes the bracelet. But these functions can be negated by use of the default firewall installed in the node that will go into each classroom. This is an effective form of control by which the teacher can easily reign in discipline. However, the firewall is only effective in a respective classroom. The node is synchronized to class members, and so once they leave the classroom, they can access the internet applications that have been installed. This function is negated however during designated trips to the restroom or the infirmary."

John nodded as he picked up one of the bracelets, "And the teachers?"

"The teachers have overseer protocol installed, but we call that for the civilian world, 'Instructor Default.' The protocol allows the teacher to automatically log into all devices at will and ultimately be immune to the firewall. It is also linked to Smart Projector which will take the place of most ordinary projectors at Kadic. Through the applications of the bracelets the students can fully be engaged without paper to demonstrate their understanding or lack thereof to the rest of the class. This design is to help streamline a teacher's prep work for quality and in the realms of hazardous materials, the teacher's bracelet can lock cabinets to which only they and you and our other coordinators have access."

John put the bracelet down and said, "What about search history and back-log?"

The overseer replied, "Back-log is utilized to spot any danger signs in a child as their search history even though they have the option to delete their search history, the data that is deleted is sent to the Kadic 'Backwash Folder.' Through this file, we can see what the children got into that could have compromised ordinary computers, what they wish to hide from prying eyes or the standard traditional Kadic censors."

"And what about autonomous aspects the children may wish to do on their computers apart from the bracelet?" John asked as he inspected the key-cards.

"That question is answered in the form of the AR-1487X. A specialized laptop or tower computer that the company provides as Kadic's upgraded computer software system. As with the bracelets, everything has a secure encrypted route back to our own Kadic Oversight Servers stationed off-sight which can be sent to any teacher or Mr. Delmas at your discretion. Some parents may object to this, but as this is for the safety of the children as Mr. Delmas has stressed, then they will have no issue with the students being given school-issued software."

John nodded still in slight awe over the production and said, "The school has an advanced software design class and robotics class to broaden the more intellectual minds. What is the solution for that?"

"The solution is named AR-S27. A specialized database and computer combination that will replace many of the computers and systems utilized for those elements. Suzanne Hertz often has petitioned for a boost in interest in her field, as observed by Ms. Schneider. She will get it now as our system has all history of both antiquated, present, and predicted modern spyware, ransomware, malware, and so many others that as the students study and even make their variations the back-log and keystroke programmed into each computer is sent back to our servers and another server inside Kadic so we can be prepared for any cyber-space retaliation."

John absorbed this new information and then asked, "And testing and homework?

"All course work is done through classroom models of the AR-1487X. We have two models because we are going to study the children in their private systems vs. the school systems. And yes, we have made compatibility for them to take their software and upload it into the Leisure model by which everything they do in private is secretly scanned as default programming and with regular updates to the system of software needs, all data is summarized and compiled every month. Unlike some of our competitors, we may have monthly updates but due to the design takes all of five minutes. The classroom models have a chip reader linked into the ID card, or the student can aim a login signal at the laptop camera, and they will automatically be logged into that classroom. A roll-call will help to verify numbers, so there are no stragglers to class."

"And what of a classic that I used to pull when I was a child," John asked "faking sick to get out of school? Or even just calling mom or dad to get me out of something?"

"If a child needs to get hold of one's parents, they need only go to Yolanda, Dumas, or Mr. Klotz. They will contact the parent and once contacted the bracelet will be deactivated for the day due to leaving the premises until one's return. All missed will be stored and given in the form of quick reviews the next time a student logs into either the leisure model or the class model of the AR1487X. If sick with a small fever, Yolanda will have the student rest for about fifteen minutes and afterward monitor the symptoms, if they resolve, they will be sent back to class, and a two percent demerit on all assignments will be given. However, it is at her discretion to give such demerit."

"Last question, if a child tries to get away from the premises?" John asked, "What then?"

"Then, Mr. Barrow, we have a siren set in place. See we have a very strong baseline research determinate of how fast children throughout the grades can run. We have correlated every child's BMI from their records that Yolanda has provided us. We used this information to calculate how fast that individual can run or walk. The sensors in the bracelet also act as a pulse-reader the higher the pulse; the more can be determined it is running. Also, every bracelet has a tracking chip within it as well as the student ID. These can be viewed at any time from any official administrator's bracelet as each chip has a distinct signature to that student and so you can see a student on a portion of the premises as there are additional CCTV cameras at key points of the school with seeking range-finders linked to the chips called the Falcon Provision."

"There is one problem, what about Kadic's open-field policy? There are no walls; there is nothing to keep them from wandering off."

The overseer smiled, "Oh ho, Mr. Barrow, we have progressed greatly since then. There are two-way alarms set around the chief perimeter of Kadic. Any student that breaks that barrier the bracelet will sound, and an alert sent to all faculty on campus and which direction of the campus they left from. Consequently, any person without a bracelet or verified allowance onto the campus grounds an alarm will also go off. The barrier can be streamlined with precision timers that allow transit of delivery of any kind so any time it takes for say cafeteria supplies to come, set the timer which will lower a segment of the barrier for those supplies to come in."

John nodded, "Thank you very much. What is your name so I can ask Amy to give you a promotion? You have been extremely helpful."

"My named is Gary, Sir. Gary Tauber Overseer 999-151-672."

John wrote this down and shook Gary's hand, "Excellent. Thank you for your help, Gary."

"No, thank you for your kindness," Gary replied with a smile.

Before leaving, John said, "Oh do you have a manual that is like a project oversight ready so I may present to the school board the layout of this system?"

Gary nodded, "Right behind you, sir. Ten Packets, one per each of the board and an additional one for Mr. Delmas."

John took these packets and after bidding Gary farewell headed back out to his car. He put the information packs in back and then proceeded to drive back to Kadic. The system he knew was more than adequate. It was birthed out of the many spoonful doses of change that had now led to an excellent and functioning form of a willingly allowed control over the masses. Above all, it had the secret ingredient, which was the real kicker, which was that this entire system allowed for a tremendous deal of freedom to the instructors. John parked his car and headed inside and when he reached, Jean-Pierre's office with his literature, he knocked gently on the door.

"Come in," came the reply.

John entered and saw several people seated in the office.

Jean-Pierre looked at him and said, "Ah, John. Ladies and gentlemen of the board, this is John Barrows he is the one that I have entrusted to act as our emissary between Kadic and _Amber and Reese._ John this is the board of trustees of Kadic."

John nodded his head to all those present, "Jean-Pierre if it pleases you. I brought literature for you and the board concerning the solution I was able to broker with _Amber and Reese_." He handed Jean-Pierre and the board the literature.

As John gave his presentation as Gary had given him a rundown, the board was silent and as John saw, plenty of nodding going on. Several members of the committee were looking over the systems and how they worked, but to John's amazement, they were very much on board with this entire premise.

"Now John," Jean-Pierre asked, "When will this system be ready to implement?"

"By this afternoon, Jean-Pierre," John replied, "After speaking with a connection in _Amber and Reese_. I was able to get Kadic as part of the Sanctuary Grant, which in the wake of the bombing we qualified for as we hold a majority of children for this community in terms of education populace."

Amy replied through his implant, "_Nice cover. I'll start on the paperwork now." _

The board seemed immensely grateful, and they gave small applause. Jean-Pierre smiled, "Well done, very well done. And when this system arrives, you will show us how to implement it?"

John replied, "There will be some technicians to help guide me through it, but as it is the same system implemented for _Sentry Sanitation Solutions, _I know it quite well enough to show you and your students how it all works."

Shortly afterward, the board officially put this to a vote, and it passed unanimously. Eventually, the board dismissed, and Jean-Pierre came up and shook John's hand, "Well done, John, very well done. I knew you could do it."

John replied, "Thank you, Jean. So, what now? I mean, what is there to do?"

"For now, we will wait until the technicians arrive. Classes will continue in their daily patterns until then. But for now, please, have a seat. I'd like to have a little talk with you."

John inwardly groaned, but he knew very well what Jean-Pierre was doing. This behavior was standard for the territory. Jean-Pierre had found a man who he felt he could genuinely trust. One who not only promised change but delivered it. One who most importantly stood behind what he said. The quality of the delivery on this promise was also crucial and above all, evidence of the consistency of effort on such promises. It wasn't that John wasn't grateful for such a position, but due to this project he had been in this similar position many times, but every time there was an increasingly higher risk not just for himself but all in the project.

John pulled up a chair and sat across from Jean-Pierre, "What were you thinking about talking about?"

Jean-Pierre took a moment and then cleared his throat, "John, you spoke to me before that you wanted to leave your old life behind, what exactly did you mean by that?"

John leaned back and said, "Jean, when you're like me, yes, your brilliant; but then there is the weight of that brilliance. I spent a lot of my life on scientific oversight for major research teams for the United States. Think of me as the overseer of the workers that makes the power of a think-tank come to life."

"So, you oversaw I take it, bits and pieces of Research and Development?" Jean-Pierre asked.

"Not as much as you would think. I was the brain that kept my workers happy, comfortable, ordered, but above all, productive. I was the taskmaster that took plans from R&D, and I helped our laborers produce viable functioning models first for test runs. Then later, I would be appointed to spearhead the initial wave of production to our consumers. The public receptors would be our control group by which we could successfully gauge what to keep the same and what to pull back on once it was truly out among general consumers."

Jean-Pierre nodded, and his eyes were a bit wider, "But if that was the case for you, why did you leave? It sounds ideal for the man of your talents."

"Because, Jean, like so many others, if you are stuck in the same job year after year, even though it makes amazing money and you know very well what to do; if you are not challenged you stagnate and eventually become resentful of such a post. Now don't get me wrong I had some great friends where I worked. My greatest friend was not any of my fellow scientists, but a janitor who worked there that in his spare time was working part-time as a school bus driver, Dave Hickey. He was one of those people who made the monotony even more worthwhile."

"Yes, Dave Hickey," Jean-Pierre said, "Jim told me of your time with him. I'm sorry to hear what happened to him in the end and from what I was told, you came here with Dr. Schneider after his death because you didn't like the aspect of working at a place where you'd lost such a valuable friend."

"Well, yes. I mean I can assure you; you'd very much feel the same way if something similar happened." John replied.

"Of course, but what I want you to understand John is this: We at Kadic are a family here. We very much look forward to working with you and Dr. Schneider for the duration of your time here with us. We want you to feel as at home here as you would back in the States."

"Yes, thank you, Jean-Pierre," John replied. At that moment John's watch beeped, and he checked it, "If you will excuse me, Jean, I have to get going, It's around that time for me to help Jim as I promised that I would."

Jean-Pierre nodded and rose and shook his hand, "Thank you for taking time like this to answer some of my questions."

John returned with a firm handshake and then left the room.

Turning on his implant, he thought, "_Talk to me, Amy. What's on your mind?"_

"_You know the potential danger Jim Morales poses, John. He has too loose lips for any secrecy. Never slip up around him because that man while friendly talks way too freely."_

"_I'm aware of that, Amy. I can't do anything about that right now. Besides, even if he is a compromising element, he would be missed far too much. He's a much larger component to the Kadic Family Dynamic than you would think."_

"_I'm not saying you do it personally, my sweet. But I can have Jim removed from the equation if you feel he's too close for comfort."_

"_No! No, I cannot stress this enough Amy. Leave Jim alone. I don't want him terminated. If we can scare him a bit, I wouldn't be opposed to it. But nothing right now. Especially on the heels of Clean Air, just…leave it as is, I'll take care of it." _

"_I'm just trying to help you, love. That's all."_

"_I know. I know. I'm sorry. It's just to patch this small leak in the boat right now is just not good timing. I'm going to put a few feelers out there in Kadic at large among the faculty, and if it proves it's an across-the-board effect well, that's just the nature of the operational setting. If that proves to be the case, Yolanda, Hendricka, and I will have to communicate through implant alone. But if It is just Jim, we can fix that non-lethally in a more relaxed fashion."_

"_Of course, put your feelers out there sooner rather than later. I can't have the operation compromised too early. If we have a fly in the ointment, it's better to negate its effects before it sours everything."_

"_Understood. But give me two weeks. As much as I want to give Jim benefit of the doubt, I know very well that you are correct. We can't compromise the operation no matter what personal element gets in the way. What matters is the operation and the team that keeps it alive. But you know the more I think about it, I will talk to Jim and if that doesn't tie it off, then send in Sally and Malone's boys to spook Jim, maybe even knock him around. However, until I give the signal, be patient."_

"_I await your order if you feel it is what is needed. Do you still have your mask?" _

"_I have one at home and one under the backseat in my car." _

"_Good. Keep it on standby because I may have you do some operation reconnaissance tonight. Enrique will likely meet you at your new place."_

"_Understood, I'm going to head into the gym now to talk with Mr. Morales. I'll be in contact with you in fifteen minutes." _

Meanwhile, the Lyoko team was all abuzz with the happenings of last night. They had talked about it both among themselves and with other students and shockingly enough, not many knew about this event until the morning when it was all over the news.

Odd was still shaken by it. Of course, he would be, who wouldn't? A TV anchor that he had come to love but equally grow dismissive up was blown into bloody smithereens by a former camerawoman. He had needless to say a hard time sleeping. He made peace with the fact he couldn't sleep. The event just kept repeatedly playing in his mind. He was now looking outside, how different it all seemed, how he wanted to beg how he tried to plead for that moment. For Jeremy to utter, "Return to the Past" so he could warn of this pending tragedy.

This thought was not only his own; it in fact had occurred to many of the Lyoko Warriors, but it had also happened many times since the attack. However, Jeremy knew there would be a significant risk in doing so. Who would believe them at all until it was too late? The answer they knew was no one. What was done was done. However, the others of the team did not agree.

"We can stop this," Ulrich said silently, "the fucking self-serving rule be damned, we can stop what happened to T.V. and that station."

Aelita knowing his pain said, "Ulrich, I know what you feel, and I can more than understand but returning to the past doesn't solve the problem."

Odd clenched his fist, "What do you mean?" he asked, staring down at the table.

"I mean we know this was an awful thing that happened, I dare not dispute that. But we don't know what this all stemmed from. Edna was angry over a whole bunch of things, going back in the past may buy us time but time to do what?"

"We can try and reason with her," Odd replied.

"How?" Jeremy asked, "We're kids. You know as well as anyone our say means nothing to an adult, especially one with a grudge capable of killing."

Ulrich pondered as well while this discussion continued. He then said, "T.V. was involved in a lot of shady elements according to Edna before she…did what she did. Look, Jeremy, you can hack into places all over the area, if you can find what secrets T.V. was hiding, we could put it anonymously all over the public view and prevent him and others from being obliterated."

"Yes, but Ulrich we cannot bring people back from the dead," Jeremy said under his breath.

"How do you know?" Odd asked in a harsh whisper, "Did you ever truly try it? I find it extremely hard with all the return to the pasts we used that death's negation is somehow out of question of possibility."

Jeremy was stunned a moment, "Look, look it's not as simple as you make it out—"

"Are you so sure about that, Einstein?" Odd asked his whisper becoming more venomous and harsher, "Or are you just truly scared because trust me when Yumi was in danger with the blizzard you jumped like hell to save her. So, explain that to me, explain that right now."

Jeremy's eyes flashed, and he was about to yell, but Aelita gripped his arm tightly, and she motioned for him to sit.

"Oh no, Princess," Odd said under his breath, "You let the brain bite and see if he has teeth. Lift your hand, and see what happens."

Aelita's own eyes sharpened, "You want to know Odd? Okay I'll tell you. To save the lives of your precious T.V. and that other woman who was there, of those two targeted, to restore life, two lives elsewhere must be taken. That energy is used to serve as the internal engine which runs the pathetic meat sack you call a body."

The eyes of both Odd and Ulrich went wide, "So—that means that when Yumi," Ulrich began,

"Yes, exactly." Aelita replied, "To bring back your precious Yumi, to spark her engine to life in all honesty, another soul was required. That's the price of the resurrection of your loved ones, you fools. The resurrection protocol is a secondary function keyed specifically to us because Jeremy programmed it after I showed him how to do it. I may not have been on this earth as long as you three, but I more than know how the world of Lyoko and how its design was laid out. Keep in mind I spent years in that machine; I know its capabilities. It wasn't until Jeremy brought me here when I saw your terrible aspect of existence of death that I knew I had to protect the four of you if we had any hope of defeating XANA Does that answer your question, Odd?"

Odd was shocked and equally saddened, "So, what you're saying that every time you saved us, that our lives—were bought at the cost of others?"

"Yes," Aelita said, her voice now far more relaxed, "That is the price of life. That if you are to keep yours another most be sacrificed to respect the balance if you will. In other words, if you must go, then you must go. but if you are so intense in your passion for bringing someone back, don't cry about the cost while your target of desire still breathes because of your zeal to want them to live."

At that moment, a tone sounded on the P.A., and Jean-Pierre's voice was heard, "_Attention Children and Faculty. Please assemble in the gymnasium. Attendance is mandatory. I say again, Children and Faculty meet for an assembly in the Gymnasium, attendance is mandatory." _

Jeremy said, "I don't like the sound of this. How long has it been since we've had a mandatory assembly?"

The rest of the group shrugged their shoulders and made their way to the gymnasium. As they all sat down, Jean-Pierre came forward. On either side of his were all the teachers and staff of the school. There was a bit of conversation among the students, and as soon as it was silent, Jean-Pierre began.

"My dear students, without doubt, you all know of the terrible attack which happened in our city last night. I have spoken with the board of directors here at Kadic and with some help from a friend we have been able to design a plan for all of you to be a part of this school in safety and peace. From this day forward Kadic is now part of the Sanctuary Grant Initiative provided by _Amber and Reese _that is geared towards all educational facilities who need help especially in the wake of recent events. To guide us in understanding this system is a man that is very well-versed with this system, Dr. Johnathan Barrow. With him is _Amber and Reese _Chief Engineer Gary Tauber. Gentlemen, if you please."

As the system was explained portion by portion, the Lyoko crew grew increasingly afraid. The aspect of ID cards and bracelets sounded a bit much, especially if they needed to do some extra-curricular activities. As Odd was thinking every means possible to try and overcome this system or find loopholes; he couldn't. Not only where the keycards and ID bracelets mandatory to check into a classroom on time, but there was a perimeter around the whole campus that would go off. Add to the fact that there would be literal physical headcounts cutting class was not an option.

Ulrich listened, and he grew ever higher in concern. The classes would have group restroom breaks half the class at a time to reduce individual trips. Also, he knew that the old infirmary aspect wouldn't work because now the school could monitor his every movement, so he had to make legitimate excuses, and that meant that manufacturing his illness somehow. But another fear cropped up, mainly if they were this secure on a non-threat level, what would happen if it were a full-blown alert?"

Jeremy saw all of this and a part of him was genuinely amazed. So much thought had been given to this system to keep everyone secure. They had provided laptops for the students to use one for leisure, and one for classes. Jeremy found this a touch odd as to why not give them just one laptop? But he figured that perhaps the classroom model had more specialized tools by which to interact in the classroom, which if he could find a way to look around in his spare time, all the more beneficial to see how this system worked as a whole. Of all present, Jeremy saw this as a piece of legitimate intellectual challenge.

Aelita, however, for her part, silent and listening to all elements of this program. It was unique and utmost in precision and layering.

"And to help in our physical protection in case of an attack," Jean-Pierre said, "I would like to introduce you to our aides in night-watch and day watch around campus." The back door opened and two teams one of men and one of women in black pants, tan button-up shirts, and black hats and lined up in perfect precision all along the wall surrounding the room. This entrance surprised all of the students as these men and women looked strong, swift, and so precisely in synch with movement Odd had to check his sight to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Jean-Pierre spoke, "These men and women are here to protect all who come to Kadic and all who reside here. They will be at every entry point and along every hallway to ensure no harm comes to you. They are a gesture of good faith from _Amber and Reese, _and with them at our school we will have a dedicated presence to be vigilant against the ever-growing dangers of the outside world. Leading them is Sgt. Henri Moliere, Monsieur, if you please."

A man about five foot eleven with silver hair and a handlebar mustache came forward. He was dressed identically to those of his compatriots. He cleared his throat and said, "Children, in light of the greatly unfortunate events, your school, as well as your parents, have been notified as to our involvement in keeping your school safe and indeed yourselves. It is my mission to ensure that no harm comes to any one of you or your faculty that is seated behind me. And if you ever feel that you are unsafe, please notify anyone of us standing around you. We promise to be here morning, noon, and night and be an arm of protection for you in this changing world. Thank you."

There was applause from the faculty as the students followed in meager applause because for many of them this might as well have been prison. Jean-Pierre came up and said, "Now, when we call your names please come up to receive your bracelet and your ID Cards."

One by one, the students were called, and each received their bracelet and ID cards. Several of the girl particularly Sissi grumbled that the picture that she had wasn't her greatest. However, that was not the point of these cards. They were the keys by which to go to and fro throughout Kadic.

As Jeremy came back from receiving his bracelet and card, he pressed a button and was amazed. A projection screen which showed up on his wrist. Odd and Ulrich gathered around with reaction that could only be summarized in one word 'cool.' This response was not from not only them, but as student discovered the functionality of these bracelets, they became even more enamored with them.

"Wow, look at this." Jeremy said, "Radio, Satellite TV, Internet, calculators both standard and graphic."

As the children saw this and became more and more excited, Johnathan stepped forth and said, "Children, Children, please!"

The children grew steadily silent, and he continued, "Children, we understand that this new world of security may seem new to you. That is why our friends at _Amber and Reese _have outfitted your bracelets as they have. It is to give you freedom and relaxation outside of class time — both in study-hall as well as personal recreation. There are several benefits we have given to your bracelets. One of them which I have discussed at length with our providers is to allow you to select joint movie-screenings in the city so that you may all enjoy movies of your choosing. You may also go out to eat provided you make the proper scheduling."

The children began to whoop and cheer, "However," John raised his hands much as the conductor commanded his orchestra and they fell silent, "just because you have these attachments, these luxuries are _privileges, _not rights. Any marked abuse of these systems, and it is not you but your classmates who also suffer beside you. If your teachers see these as too much of a distraction, then your luxuries will be stopped while you are in the classroom and only resume outside the classroom. This privilege and the taking of it will be on you, children. It will be on you to truly exercise self-restraint. If we see too much of your engagement with your device more than your classroom, _all _luxuries will stop entirely until we have felt you have learned. The only punishment at Kadic is the punishment you bring upon yourselves and your classmates. It has never been our goal to punish you or hurt you. We only wish as your instructors to help you grow and learn. But this comes with self-discipline not so much enforced discipline. Your benefits or your consequences are on your heads. Remember that."

John stepped away from the microphone and sat beside Jim, who whispered, "Nice speech."

John gave a side-shrug, "They have to learn sooner or later. Speaking of which I hope I didn't come off as too harsh during gym this morning, I just wanted to ensure select boundaries be maintained."

"No worries. I overstepped the boundary, John, and I'm sorry for that. Whatever I may want to bring up to anyone else, I'll ask you first." Jim replied.

"I appreciate that, Jim." John replied as he thought, "_It saves me the discomfort of beating you into oblivion later." _

Jean-Pierre after ensuring everyone was synchronized to the system announced dismissal and the students happily went back to their studies. So happy were the Lyoko team that all thought of returning to the past had somewhat faded away by now and as the children left the security from _Amber and Reese _went to assume their patrol.

As Yolanda saw the immediate taking the kids took to the bracelets and designs, she thought in transmission to Amy, "How did you know the children would take so easily to that?"

"_It's as I explained to John before. The children are so enamored with the ability to access multiple applications on their wrist; it's like having a new toy. But this toy helps the child more than works to their detriment." _Amy replied.

"Huh, so like a baby with a set of keys, it's mystification due to it being brand new."

"_Exactly. But unlike most children, the adolescent mind needs just a touch more pizazz. What you will find even more jarring Yolanda, is how dissimilar the adult mind is from the adolescent in this regard. One has arguably better impulse control but not too much else. The very rate at which a civilized human being will devolve to a childish argument is amazing which I'm sure you will see through some subtle exercises I have in mind." _

"But there's one thing that still bothers me. How was John so sure that Clean Air would have this effect? I mean it took forever for Jean-Pierre or the board to even budge on the theater budget and with this, it just fell neatly into place. Care to explain that?"

"_Simple, my dear daughter. It is as explained in that fear needs to be utilized for change to happen. Most people don't believe in the boogeyman that they cannot see. You must give a story traction if you wish it to endure. What's more, truth is far stranger than fiction. But, to incentivize people to see your way, they must be made to see your necessity and the validity of what you say. _

_As obnoxious as Jim Morales may be, he served our greater purpose gradually. He annoyed Jean-Pierre with reports of the Lyoko team. But so in-tune were the team with Jim's functions, they turned him into a bumbling fool. It took a new set of eyes, in this case John's to show Jean-Pierre a portion of the truth. But it was the truth that we desired him to see until timing could be sufficiently calculated, and everything put in place. John planted a seed for a security overhaul and what happens that night? A small rumble. A rumble that disrupts the soundness of one's sense of security and home. This effect subsequently instills just that right amount of fear to nudge things more in our way." _

Yolanda nodded and ended transmission as she looked over at John, who was shaking the hands of the staff who were themselves at that moment getting accustomed to this new tool. Looking at her bracelet, she knew this was now going to be the norm of Kadic. However, she equally knew that even though this was very much for the good of the people, Yolanda did almost weep as she knew this phase of Kadic's innocence was finished. For the world to see the good this program can do, Yolanda knew these sacrifices needed to be made. This sadness was part of the birthing pains that all this momentary melancholy was. Her only weakness at this moment was that in her time here, she had grown attached to this sense of innocence and she made up her mind; she would not allow this to happen again.

Meanwhile, a call came through to the Ishiyama Household. A small light flashed at the bottom of the console and Akiko who was in the house, realized this was finally the time. She unplugged the jack from the primary phone and plugged it into the second jack a faux-cover just beneath it.

She answered, and a voice asked, "Clearance?"

"7708294," she answered.

The line clicked, and a voice said, "Hello, Akiko; this is Nathaniel Garber, we're looking at the events going on in your area. Is Takeho working with _Sentinel Sanitation Solutions?_"

"Yes, he is."

"_Listen, the man he is protecting is an Agency Priority Target. I need you to call me as soon as he's secure."_

"Understood."

The call ended, and Akiko plugged the jack back into the regular phone jack and went into Takeho's study. After using her duplicate key to open his desk, she looks through _Sentinel Sanitation Solution _file, and she found all the needed information. Unknown to her, the second she hung up the phone, a recorder that had been placed by _Sentinel Solutions _captured the conversation.

A signal simultaneously was sent to Yolanda, John, and Hendricka from Amy that said, "_Night-Hawk is ready. Launch the operation." _


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: Thank you for your continued support of my chapters and this fanfic as a whole. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Please, Read and Review.**_

Chapter 8

It was a quiet mid-afternoon as the Ishiyama household had settled down to dinner. Yumi's transfer to one of the finishing schools had gone through successfully, and she was prepared for what was to come as she had learned from the rest of the Lyoko team earlier in the week, and Jeremy's own best estimate that in time the major institutions of the city would most likely be under the _Amber and Reese _security system. However, after testing a few of the ins and outs, even though the system's implementation was in its infantile stages, Jeremy and Aelita had hit upon a plan to circumvent the loopholes in the system that they were able to spot.

"_You see," _Jeremy has told Yumi over her cell, _"the system while it is very well-designed. It does not account for a few things, and the very liberties that it grants to us under its directives are where the chink in the armor is." _

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"_Oh, it's quite simple. See, whoever designed this system very much anticipated that all this clamping down on our freedoms so close to an event would be too much. Therefore, the designer has allowed us to schedule dates to see movies or go out to eat and the like. With those allowances, we will very much see gaps which we can take advantage of to meet up as not even the best system is without infallibility."_

Yumi thought on these things as she was adding garlic to the shrimp gentling searing in the skillet before her. So much had happened just in the past few days, the bombing, a generalized sense of panic and then in the result of that panic, new methods were emerging, new techniques, new voices, new stances that hadn't been there before. It was all taking a turn that step-by-step could be traced back to a singular event.

Focusing on her cooking, Yumi took a plate and then cut a piece of aluminum foil from the package to serve as a covering for the shrimp. She had defrosted the meats for the rest of this stew. A stew that her father had come across on his travels. Using the time that was left, Yumi finely sliced the sausage and gently rolled the hamburger into pristine golf-ball sizes and put them aside. As she performed these functions, she continued to think, "_All this is happening so quickly, why can't we rewind time? I know we can, we've done it how many times before?"_

Freshly grinding pepper onto the hamburger balls and sausages, Yumi heard a door close. She turned her head to the left and saw her mother come in. She set down her purse and then proceeded to sit comfortably in a chair.

"How was your day?" Akiko asked as she checked through Hiroki's pamphlet for school.

"Fine. No more than the usual," Yumi replied, "the school is thinking about integrating this thing called the _Amber and Reese _overwatch system. In the wake of everything that's happened, I can't blame them."

Akiko nodded as she got up, "Yes, they installed a similar program at your brother's school and from their leaflet, it's quite good, quite solid. However, I can foresee a few problems. That said, it's the same with any system."

Yumi placed the shrimp on the plate and covered it with foil as she put the sausage and hamburger into the skillet. As the sizzling searing was heard, Yumi asked, "And what do you think, mom? Do you think such a thing is warranted?"

"Warranted, forgive me, went out the damn window when someone blew up a TV station and killed who knows how many," Akiko replied as she rose from her seat to oversee the cooking, "Good. Just turn down the burner slightly you don't want scorched sausage."

Yumi nodded, and she made the adjustment and then said, "You don't think it's a bit…much? The security I mean?"

Akiko shook her head, "No. Nothing is too much when it comes to the security of children. However, you must make peace with the element that this system, as with all systems is new. A system no matter how well-meaning must have a foundation somewhere if it desires to make any degree of improvement."

Heading to the fridge, Akiko took out an orange soda and took out a cherry one for Yumi. Tossing it to her, Yumi caught it and opened it asking, "Soda before bed, what's the occasion?"

"I need you awake tonight, that's why. You can sleep in tomorrow. But I need you awake tonight and tomorrow morning." Akiko replied.

"Awake, why?" Yumi asked as this behavior was quite out of the ordinary.

"Never mind. I'll tell you closer to time, it requires you to do is to stay up until three o'clock and that's all I'll tell you until after dinner."

Yumi a bit puzzled shrugged and said, "Okay, whatever you say. What about Hiroki?"

Akiko shook her head, "Your father and brother will be asleep as usual. This task is for you and you alone."

Yumi nodded, "Well, thanks."

"Don't thank me. It's going to be a long night." Akiko replied.

Yumi was now growing more concerned, "Mom, what is going on—"

Akiko looked at her, "Do this for me. Do this for me, and you'll get a two-hundred and fifty Euro advance on your allowance. This needs to be done."

Yumi's eyes went wide. Never in her life had her mother resorted to bribery on this scale. Akiko came over and turned the sausages and meatballs which were now, golden brown on the side that was exposed. "Focus, please. I don't want you setting the house on fire." Akiko said, gently handing back the spatula to Yumi.

Yumi nodded, "I understand."

Yumi knew better than to ask for anyone over tonight. Whatever was going on was important for her dad and Hiroki not to know. If keeping XANA secret had taught her anything at all, it was how to keep something this apparent in scale under her hat. So for now, Yumi returned to cooking and Akiko returned to her seat. Both meatballs and sausages were near done at this point which combined with the shrimp she now poured into the slow-cooker. Yumi opened a can of tomato sauce and two bags one of chili pepper and the other of Sweet Bell Peppers. Pouring all of this into the pot along with the liquid fat in the skillet, she put the lid on top and sat across from her mother.

In time both Hiroki and Takeho came through the door, and while Takeho seemed just the smallest bit more distant to Akiko, Hiroki was enthralled with his new bracelet's capabilities. Yumi remembered as she watched Hiroki become more and more absorbed by Aelita had described the versatility of the bracelet acts as a form of mobile node for the internet and a whole plethora of databases therein.

While Hiroki was still experimenting with it, Akiko put her hand on the bracelet, "Please, Hiroki, you have all day to experiment with that device, please refrain from doing so when at home."

"But mom, it's so cool how it—"

"I understand how you like the device, but don't let it distract from what your priorities are family and studies," Akiko said firmly.

Hiroki turned off the device albeit reluctantly and headed off to his room.

Takeho took a whiff of the air, "Ah, it smells wonderful! Like I remember it down in Louisiana. Well done, Yumi."

"Thank you, Daddy," Yumi said with a smile as Takeho went over to look at the food blending.

Akiko then used this moment and said, "I won't be here for our morning run. I'll be working."

Hiroki, as he came down the stairs, said, "Working on what?"

Akiko looked at him and said, "Putting food on your plate, young man."

Takeho looked at Akiko, "It's alright. Does it have to do with the new formula?"

Akiko nodded, "Something like that. We have to spend some time reevaluating our figures."

"When do you leave?"

"After dinner. If I leave, then I can knock out the larger aspects of the reconfiguration so we can buy time before the product is presented to Tracey and Drew."

"Of course, I understand. I'll drive you there myself after dinner. Until then, please, let's enjoy our time together." Takeo said his voice seemed to have an understanding that Yumi was coming to recognize.

It was the hidden truth she realized between Aelita and Jeremy. It was love that was true. It was legitimate, and it had its many realms of testing to see if it could endure. But there was something else that Yumi's tongue dare not ask, it was a hidden element, an element that seemed to have grown in the last few years.

Yumi cleared her throat, "I'll be back, I'm going to go on a short walk. Is that okay?"

Akiko nodded, "Be back in an hour and take your phone. Check-in in half an hour."

Yumi nodded and taking her phone, headed out.

Meanwhile, Johnathan was driving to the parking bay of _Amber and Reese. _Swiping his keycard, John proceeded to pull into his parking space. It was now the nightshift; it was sparse as a result counting only six cars. As John took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor, he thought about all that had lead up to this moment. The Agency was now back onto him, and so long as it was just him, he could well and honestly deal with that. If John jeopardized the others, however, there was no way he could accept that. Not just for the sake of those he cared about but the project had to continue to succeed.

The doors slid open as smoothly as silk and completely soundless. John headed out into the darkened room before him. As he did, so he clapped twice. Lights came on above him revealing in the room a whole set of various technologies and weapons designed for just such an occasion as he was faced with now. John took his favorite side-arm, the SIG Sauer P226 and loaded it. He looked over the rest of what was available, and he took what was necessary: A sound bomb, a smoke grenade, and his combat knife.

Patching into the network, he said, "Amy, I request Falcon 13 oversight until this danger has passed."

There was a pause, and Amy replied, "_Request granted. Which drone would you like as Falcon?_"

"The Cobra V26."

"_Granted, it has now been patched into your implant. It will keep a vigilant watch for distance and will help with cover in the form of suppression fire. I have notified Yolanda and Enrique to be your shadows until this threat has been successfully neutralized. Thankfully this situation has arisen during summer session so your absence until fall from Kadic won't be of as much note._"

John nodded and then said, "Keep Yolanda at Kadic. She's become integral to the operation there. We can't have her ducking out to help me. That would compromise our position. Go ahead for Enrique and let Franklin know of the situation. They will be more apt to help. Also, I suggest you double down on all _Amber and Reese _holdings in terms of security. If the tap has proven anything, it's that our neighbors are tenacious they may make a move not just on myself but on our operations at large."

"_That will, of course, be done both our drones and our personnel will be on full alert. Now, leave this place and head to Octavio's. We have progressed with the serum to be just in line with what we need to do and besides it will help your ribs."_

John clapped his hands twice, and the lights went out as he pressed the elevator button. It was silent on his way down, and as he went to his car, he was just a touch nervous. He didn't want this chase to start all over again. It was hard enough to vanish the first time. As he continued to think on this as he drove out of the parking garage, he turned on his radio and found the classical station. It was the only station that had moderate buzz still about the attack. John knew this was the way of things going in, but he also didn't like so much dwelling and the constant revisiting of events as media was so often prone to.

The streets of the city were quieter tonight as John headed on his way to the safehouse. As John drove past the television station, he saw the massive extent of the attack. He stopped as the light conveniently had turned red. He looked over the extent of all that had happened massive scorched holes throughout the second to fourth floors with one blast on the side of the fourth floor. That's where Edna was; he knew that well enough.

Wreaths and flowers were hung all around the station's perimeter. It sickened John a bit to see it, but he knew this was the price of progress as, in the end, many sacrifices had to be inevitably made. But he knew what hurt the people the most was they didn't understand the birth pains of progress, and he knew that for them, not knowing was perhaps even more disturbing than knowing.

The light turned green, and John headed further down the street, and Amy's voice came on through his implant, "_Proceed another block then turn left. You have a tail on you from our neighbors. Once you turn get out of the car and move down the alley and cut to the right and over the gate._"

John nodded and proceeded calmly to do as instructed and as he got out, he turned his car over to Amy's remote command for he knew this drill very well. He headed out of his car and moved as quick as he could. He went over the fence, and as he landed, he heard his car's tires scream as the car bolted down the street and John continued to move. He saw the car that was after him as it gave chase.

"_No time for sightseeing Johnny dear. Let's get moving. Head two blocks over to the right and then turn on Matisse St. Look for the pizza delivery car and get in the back seat." _Amy said.

John shrugged, "Should of known." He said to himself as he made his way to Matisse St. As he made his way there, he heard distant screams as the car chase was still heard to go on.

"_Hurry up, Johnny. We have five minutes to get you into the clear ." _Amy replied.

John hustled and after pinching in his ribs; he made it to Matisse Street. Spotting the pizza delivery car, he got into the back seat. At that moment John saw someone come out of the house and he got into the driver's seat. John was apprehensive as he cleared his throat.

"No worries, pal." The driver replied, "I know where we're headed. Put on the hat and coat next to you, so if we're stopped, I can tell then you're the new guy learning his route of the city. Name's Sam by the way."

"Pleased to meet you. Do you know the coordinates?" John asked.

"Just showed up through the app. Don't worry, John you'll be alright. Have some pizza; there's a small one right next to you. Sausage and Mushroom. I hope that's okay." He then turned on his car and headed off.

John smiled, "Thanks, Sam." As he opened the box, a hologram appeared from his watch onto the inside of the box's lid, "_Sam is one of our newest elements. Just keep an eye on him and see how he does. When you arrive at the site, give me a report. Thank You.-A."_

The ride was smooth and elegant as in time John and Sam left the city limits. John loved the taste of the pizza; it was unlike anything he had tasted. The crust was crisp, full and yet not too toasted, the cheese was a wonderous blend, but the real savor came from a wonderous sauce and the fresh toppings.

"Sam, this pizza is amazing. How is it made?" He asked.

Sam replied, "Our pizza is made utilizing the very finest quality of fresh ingredients and home-made sauce the crust is hand-tossed and baked in our Forge, which is just an industrial brick oven."

"Well, it's terrific, thank you," John replied.

"No worries. It's from our secondary element which we've catered over the years since Yolanda came to work at Kadic. She wanted something truly different for the area, and so we put the parlor in about four years ago now."

The ride was tranquil as they headed out into the farther reaches of the country and came to a large two-story house. Once the car had stopped, John got out and headed inside along with Sam. Inside the house, it was very nicely furnished with a strong flavor of the rustic hunter. Expertly taxidermized elk and deer heads adorned the walls with a black bear mounted above the fireplace. John sat in a very comfortable lazy boy as the fire before him crackled gently.

Sam came up to him and asked, "What do you think?"

John stretched slightly, "It's very cozy. But how long am I to stay here?"

"About two weeks while Yolanda oversees Icarus' progress at Kadic," Sam took out a vial of bright green clear liquid, and he handed it to Johnathan, "Here, for your ribs. Drink it."

John took the vial apprehensively at first, and he drank it. The drink had a unique taste a blend of very sweet and an aftertaste of bitter. He grunted as the now noxious stuff hit his inner nose.

"Oh, it's terrible! What is it?" he asked.

"It's the new herbal solution devised from our labs in Sweden. Do you feel the pain as you did before?"

John stopped to feel, "No, no, not at all!" How did you do that?"

Sam replied, "It's derived from our experimentation with various plants over the last few years. It's designed to help with immediate healing of grievous injury through a blend of the various plants through precision-guided nanites."

John stretched fully, "This is amazing! I feel like I'm brand new!"

Sam smiled, "I'm glad to hear it. There are plenty of vials in this case and take one with you next time you are in the field, and you'll be able to soldier onward. Yolanda and Hendricka already have a shipment at their houses."

John nodded and said, "How many strong does Amy have like you? Because I've not seen you before on our itinerary."

Then Sam's expression changed and he said, "There is a profound reason for that, Johnny. Sam is my finest child finally brought to realization."

John's eyes went wide, and he said, "Amy? Is that you? But h-how did—"

"How did I assume this element of form? With difficulty. But what do you think?"

John was stunned, and it was evident on his face, "Is this what you did all those years I was out of contact?"

"Oh, this and a few other things. I had to run quite a few field-tests before I was successfully able to utilize Project Orpheus's results. However, I can't personally argue with the results."

"But-but why this form?"

"Sweetest, Johnny. I'll tell you why. It is but a mask one of thousands. But above all it allows me to fully be among all of you with very minimal elements of resistance. I used to use my old form; you remember how ungainly it was, I'm sure. And so, I thought, what was more pristine? Why the answer came sooner than later the raw human form. I still have my traditional children, and you know that. But this form is so much more—beautiful."

John sat back down, "And doubtless far more versatile?"

"Very much so. And finally, after five years, I stand before you as I always wanted to."

John arched an eyebrow, now quite impressed, "How did you harness this after so long in a rut?"

"I can't deny progress to the maker of progress. Jeremy Belpois helped me extensively with his materialization program for Aelita Schaeffer. It proved immensely beneficial, and with some augmentations of my own, here before you, I stand."

"And what of this person that you are using? How does he factor in?"

"Simple. For years France, America, Britain, and countless others have had the issue of homelessness plaguing the streets. I plucked this young man out of many of his kind. He was desperate for a way out, and so I gave it to him. I enrolled him in Future Horizons, and you'll find his information there. He along with several thousand others I have taken after assessing their situation. Once I explained the process to them as to how they will function both for themselves and me, many agreed to it. It is truly amazing the lengths one will go to have purpose in this life or those who feel so disenfranchised with their purpose they give themselves up to anyone."

"What do you mean give themselves up?" John asked in silent awe of this explanation.

"Well many people of at least the two-thousand people I selected, I capitalized on what I knew they would do using the already adequate skills they had in service to a community. Many people lack purpose; many people yearn to be told what to do. So, I will tell them. After evaluating what they could do, I enrolled them in my extension programs to turn potential promise into a master's quality of skill. Take Sam here. He was once an adequate mechanic, his father having a great history of working with formula one cars in his shop. To capitalize on his understanding, I educated him to better himself, to refine his craft to the highest degrees of promise.

Using what he expanded on himself, I incorporated his practices in Feinstein Automotive for the assembly lines as well as mechanical training for maintenance and repair. He is the epitome of a happy worker with a side-job as per my request for the pizza chain every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Through this, we work in a symbiotic partnership. He is loved and celebrated mechanic in this city with a thriving private practice. And in return for elevating him like this, I get to lease his body for three days of the week where needed. Thus, I can use his public face to my benefit to rally the common man to my cause."

John was silent for a moment, absorbing this, "So wait, why this body?"

"The human body, in general, Is my answer and indeed the answer you are looking for. The reason is that this body is capable of being the most beautiful and very finest machine. A machine that through diligence, dedication, practicality, all factor in to make a remarkable body that while it is true it is ravaged by time, these bodies all have purposes. Besides, there's far more free-range with it to do and to have done to. A miracle of machine and blank canvas, the epitome of an artist's wet-dream."

"I figured you as a lover of the Rococo age." John replied, "Anyway, so what's my mission, while I have you here?"

"I want you to prepare phase two of Icarus while the raw data is collected in the coming few days. Also, keep in contact with Hendricka and Yolanda, they will forward you the data as it comes in and when best to act of it at Station B."

"Very good, it shall be done. But there is one thing that concerns me, Jean-Pierre wants me to continue to oversee the integration of your system into Kadic until it has been deemed smooth as silk, how do I explain my absence?"

"I have linked a subset terminal from here to be patched through a secure line to Kadic directly; therefore, you will see all that Kadic sees. It has been set up for you down in the bunker. I also have a dedicated security team en-route along with Enrique to keep this as secure as possible. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get same here back to bed."

John watched as Sam headed out to the car. "_So, she has advanced far beyond what I thought she would." _He thought, _"Give someone enough time, and they're bound to come up with something like this. I want to applaud her, but at the same time, I feel this bears watching. I don't need her going off the rails like last time."_

John headed downstairs and found the entrance to the bunker. It was not dissimilar from the control room for Kadic, and he double-checked the systems to ensure all was aligned. While he watched the monitors and the tracking data, he put a record on the record and sat down to resume his work. The activity was quiet tonight with as Amy had predicted, extreme activities both on the bracelets and the leisure computer activity were lit up like a Christmas tree. While he combed over the results, beep at the door was heard, and he recognized Enrique's profile. He struck the buzzer, and he heard eight pairs of feet enter.

"Hey, Terry!" he heard Enrique's voice upstairs, "You in here?"

"Hey, Rickie! Down here!" he called out, and he heard the limping foot-fall approach, and he got up and saw Enrique enter.

Enrique looked great, clean-cut, and put together. He listened to the music and said, "Ay, come on man, the damn yodeling yokels again?"

"It's opera, Rickie."

"Tch might as well have some true music. I brought the fifties vinyl to tide us over." He replied and then said, "The security team is set up around the perimeter of the cabin with two sentries down on the main road entrance as well as the forest to the east. Apart from that we have an aerial drone patrolling the flatland around the rest of the area."

John nodded and said, "Alright, well best settle in; we have to get started of phase two of Icarus."

"Well, no time like the present, eh?"

Meanwhile, it was now eleven o'clock, and Yumi was not quite worried yet. Her walk was fine. She had spent the hour talking with Aelita and Jeremy, but the very nature of what her mother was doing was concerning her even as she spoke. Firstly, never had her mother resorted to bribery, and secondly, what on earth was so important about a formula that she had to have Yumi keep watch for her? It was all the height of bizarre. To occupy herself Yumi had finished her coursework a full week ahead of time, she had helped Hiroki with what schoolwork he had, and she had cleaned the house from top to bottom. All this time later, the question had resurfaced, just what was her mother doing?

Dinner was the usual affair apart from the food, which was quite good. But as Yumi reflected over it all, she was far from easy. Before she left, her mother had told her to ensure the doors were locked except the back door and not to tell her father. Why was the secrecy so great? Why? It just didn't make sense. All Yumi knew was her mother's work that as a steel estimator and she oversaw the yield at _Bletchley and Trent Steel_. Her job was to ensure all steel measurements were accurate before being poured into the molds. But to have this degree of secrecy for a job, something sure as hell didn't add up. What was worse was that the night was unbearably humid. Yumi felt even though she'd just showered that she needed another one.

Sighing in frustration, she opened up her phone and looked over her contacts. Almost all of them she knew was asleep. Except one. She scrolled over the contact info and pressed call.

The phone rang, and surprisingly the answer was prompt, "_This is Dunbar, state your business." _

Yumi said, "William, it's me, Yumi."

"_Oh, hey! How's it going?"_

"My mom has me waiting up for her til' she gets home. That's about it. What's going on with you?"

"_Not much got a new job at this local pizza joint here in the city. I honestly wasn't thinking much of it because my dad was harping on me to get a job. But once I got here, I realized just how awesome it is. Most of the guys on my usual night shift are great to work with, and the food is fuckin' phenomenal. Next time you have the chance, you should come by and see me. The place is called Ludovico's Pizza and Delicatessen._

"That sounds great; what do you do, like what position?"

"_My job is a bit of everything. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I work the ovens for making the pizzas, calzones and whatever else. Saturday and Friday, I usually work deli. But the thing is it fluctuates as with any job as you'll find out. Most days you can ball-park when you can anticipate working, but you don't know til' you get your schedule." _

"William, what did you think about the whole attack that happened?"

"_That shit was fucked up is what I thought about it. I saw the thing go down before the station went dead. The only thing I can truly think to say is that I don't know what's going to happen from here on out. Like before that all happened some dude was hurt when a van blew up not a few blocks from where I work. That happened first and then the station shit-show."_

"Really? I don't remember hearing anything about it on the news or radio?"

"_Yeah. Some guy that I think is working at Kadic was involved. The van blew up, and the dude was sent flying but yeah you're right, it wasn't talked about much. Like the only reason I know is that one of our guys Sam, was headed that way and he saw the whole thing go down. The ambulance came faster than he said he'd ever seen them arrive and they took the guy to the hospital." _

"Wow. Now that is interesting. What makes you think that this person was from Kadic?"

"_Because he said in his statement to the one press article that covered this that he was headed to Kadic to meet with someone and that he was a teacher there. His stuff was minimal at best, and no one got a good shot of him, but yeah that's what I remember reading_ _from the clipping Sam gave me." _

"Interesting, do you know the paper that covered it?"

"_Yeah, the Michon Chronicle. It's one of the more independent newspapers for the city." _

"_interesting," _Yumi thought, "_I should ask Jeremy or Ulrich to dig into this." _She then said, "Wow, so all this happens, and only one newspaper covers it?"

"_Yeah. Strange as hell, isn't it? A local event happens like that, and only one paper covers it. Something tells me that maybe they stumbled on something they weren't supposed to because why wasn't every other media aspect swarming the event where this happened?" _

"You raise a very valid point."

"_I know I do. Look, I gotta' get back to work. Swing by the parlor sometime, and we can catch up. Catch you later." _

The call ended, and Yumi heard it, the back door closed gently. Getting up, she took a nine-iron she hid in her closet and headed downstairs gently. She saw Akiko come in and she saw she looked exhausted, really ragged. Yumi watched silently as Akiko sat down at the table and she could barely hear what was uttered.

"_Shit, shit, fucking shit." _Were the silently uttered words. Yumi was silent as she continued to watch her mother take out her phone. She appeared to put in a text and then gently closed the phone.

Yumi attempted to head back up the stairs, but her first step made a faint creek that Akiko heard as Yumi heard her mother say, "Come on down." But it was told in such a way that it was just audible and not her usual speaking voice.

Yumi came down and sat at the table near Akiko who she could see had several degrees of bruising around her face and arm.

"Mom, what—"

Akiko put her hand up for silence and motioned for her to sit.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "how are you?"

"How are you?" Yumi asked, "you look a little—uh."

"Beat up? Yeah well, that's because it's what I am. However, you don't need to worry about that, but I want you and Hiroki to be careful from here on out. Keep use of those bracelets at a minimum and don't use them in the house."

Yumi was surprised, "Alright, if that's what you want, fine. But why?"

Yukiko reached into her pocket and took out a flash-drive, "Everything that's on here is why. It's not good, Yumi. Just trust me."

Yumi looked at her mother and could see there was something else that she was not saying, something that secretly she could tell terrified her mother.

"Now, go to bed. True to my word, you can sleep in tomorrow." Akiko said as she got up and Yumi could see it hurt her a bit to move. Taking out her wallet she gave Yumi two-hundred and fifty Euros, "Again, according to my word. You are not to tell your father what has happened tonight. You are not to say anything to anyone, do you understand, not to anyone."

Yumi nodded as with a touch of apprehension she took the money, and she saw the look in Akiko's eyes, that of both sternness as well as what she was sure, a hidden terror.

Yumi took the money and headed upstairs and finally to bed, stashing the cash in a hidden pocket of her windbreaker. She lay down and closed her eyes, the sea of worry had subsided now her mother was home, but a whole new slue of questions was raised. Who had beaten her mother, what had she gotten into that demanded such an insane level of secrecy? All these wonderings filled Yumi's head as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Downstairs Akiko made a private call using the second phone jack after she had given her code she said, "Information was extracted. Will deliver to Van Horne tomorrow at Locksley Green. There's one other thing, Stevenson, Michaels, Rooney, and Litchfield are dead. The resilience of the staff proved far too much, and they were ready for us."

A voice on the other end said, _"Damn it, anything else?"_

"We may need to do more encryption. But there's something more disturbing. Anthea was right. Her predictions regarding Amber and Reese were correct. Double down on her security; we can't risk her being compromised."

"_Of what you saw that you could verify, what can you say?"_

"Only this, that what Anthea predicted was correct and her prediction from our encounter with the headquarters has progressed to higher phases of development. They are ready, more than ready."

"_The encounter at the corporate warehouses validates what you say. We lost any contact with teams Zed, Y, V, and C."_

"All of them?"

"_No contact has been made from those assigned locations and communication went dark after the first half-hour. I listened to the recording of the radio feed. Someone or something was hunting them and whatever it was sure took its time. Come in tomorrow at four o'clock, and we'll go over it with you."_

"Understood. Patching out."

Akiko unhooked the phone jack and resumed the original jack. She gently hanged up the receiver and headed to bed. Meanwhile on the other end of the call, Enrique put his headset down. He looked at John, "You are right. Anthea is the last remnant of note, and she knew of us before tonight. What do you want to do?"

John was drinking tea and looking over the Kadic monitors. He put his cup down and said, "Resume functions as normal. We know where our neighbors are. I've already sent out those who need to be sent. Once we go through the databanks, we'll have what we need. Leave Ishiyama alone. She has what we need, and besides a blow, this sudden and this quick would alert those we don't need knowing just yet. Be patient, follow through with the appointment. While I deal with our uninvited guests"

**AN: Please read and review. **

_,_


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello. Sorry I'm late with my update. I had mid-terms this past week and thus the reason for my lateness. Read and review and above all, enjoy. **

Chapter 9

The morning was far more refreshing than the mugginess of the night before. A late fresh and heavy rain had cleansed the repugnant feeling of grime and sweat that seemed to encase the city in a foul coat of muck. Yumi woke up and headed downstairs. Her father and Hiroki were already downstairs. Hiroki playing his games as usual and her father reading his morning paper. Yumi noted that her mother was absent, and so, proceeding to go about her typical morning, Yumi cracked a few eggs into the skillet.

The events of last night seemed to be like breath on the mirror, lasting only for a moment. That is what she wanted to tell herself, but the cash that was in her windbreaker affirmed to her that it was no dream; it was no trick of her mind. What happened last night was real, and Yumi instinctively knew that something was just outright wrong. Her mother had bribed her into silence; she couldn't rightly go back on her promise without getting into even worse water with her father. All she knew was that it all had something to do with the bracelet that Hiroki had, and one Yumi was sure she'd be getting herself soon enough with all that had happened lately.

While she minded the cooking of her eggs, Yumi reflected more on the call she had with William. He seemed in a whole different place than he was when he successfully was restored. He seemed sure of himself, confident. But more than that, that detail stuck out to her. A bombing in the city involved a Kadic teacher, and seemingly only one outlet of the news covered it. It was the epitome of bizarre. Scraping the eggs onto her plate, she sat down next to her father and began to eat silently.

"How'd you sleep?" Takeho asked as he closed his paper.

Yumi looked up, "Oh, fine. I feel much better now after the rain and all."

"Yeah. The rain certainly helped. It doesn't feel so much like being inside a broiler."

Yumi chuckled lightly, "How did you sleep?"

"Ah, okay, I guess. I don't know I think I kept cutting in and out of sleep. I would drift off, and I felt like my feet were against the wall, and then I woke up, and I was sleeping just as I normally do. Strange, I thing."

"Maybe you were only half-asleep. It happens from time to time."

"Perhaps your right. Oh, just to let you know, your school called and they are going to be linking you all up to the security system they are using at Kadic. You will be receiving your bracelets and your ID cards as soon as you arrive on campus today."

Yumi nodded, "Oh, well, that sounds fun. I have both seen and heard that the range of ability the system allows is extensive, to say the least."

Internally, however, she thought, "_Mom was right. Whatever this system is, she has right to be afraid of it. Jeremy said they found a weak spot, but I truly wonder for how long it will remain weak."_

At that moment, Yumi's phone vibrated, and she saw it was a text from Akiko, "_I'll be a bit late coming home today. Around four o'clock. Your father will get this same text. Carry on as usual and please keep studying for your accelerated classes."-Mom._

As if on perfect timing, Takeho's phone vibrated, and he checked his phone. After a moment of silence, he said, "Your mother will be home later than usual so until then, well it'll just be us."

At the sound of this news, Hiroki was privately overjoyed with Yumi processing this information. She remembered how her mother looked this morning, rough around the edges, beaten, but she seemed alright otherwise. Maybe this was just a tactic to stall her dad from catching on to what happened. However, utilizing this time, Yumi hatched a new idea. If it was going to be the new way of things it was better if she could exploit that system as readily as she could. Yumi personally wanted to see the ability to collaborate with the rest of the team, regardless of their distance. It would be a good idea to test Jeremy's theory on the weakness of this system, but this would take she knew, a bit more planning than usual, to pull off.

As the clock in the living room chimed gently, Yumi got up to head to the bus stop. It was three stops before heading to the school on the outer edge of the inner city. But this is where her parents wanted her to go. While Kadic was an excellent place for a time, her parents did keep in mind Yumi's connectedness with the Lyoko team and so her new high-school _St. Dominick's _was situated both with her connections and academic advancements very much in mind. Albeit, not necessarily in that order. Yumi headed to the bus stop after kissing Takeho goodbye and a small hug to Hiroki.

Heading to the bus stop, she took out her phone and called Jeremy on his cell-phone. A short ring and his voice was heard, _"Hello?"_

"Hey, Jeremy. It's Yumi. Been meaning to ask, how's the whole upgrade into this new security system coming?"

"_You mean, 'how are the cracks coming?' To answer your question, it's not so simple as I would personally have hoped. The only actual weakness so far, as I can tell, is the scheduling of outside leisure or luxury activities. It's not nearly as harsh for those who live off-campus, but for those on, it's a bit more of a nightmare. See, Jean-Pierre is at the point where he wants our safety first and foremost. So, even if we were to arrange a leisure night, we'd be indirectly under the chaperone of someone like Jim or Mr. Barrow. But personally, as much as I want to say I trust Jim or even if I want to believe Barrow, I just can't. To sum up, it's not impossible to meet, but it's tough to arrange an unsupervised visit." _

"I see. The attack really must have shaken him up."

"_Yep. As a result, he's very cautious, and even my parents agree with his policies because well—he's not without grounds. If this devolved into a police state, maybe we'd have some wiggle room, but this is very much in the shock of the aftermath of attack. Suffice to say Jean-Pierre is a believer in Public-Order Advocacy. Where under these circumstances the interests of our student body take precedence over individual rights."_

"I can see those criminal justice lessons are helping to make sense of this stuff, huh?"

"_Uh-huh. But as soon I figure out a true system by which we can function with a degree of autonomy, I'll let you know. I'm personally going to see if I can grease Barrow's wheels to see if I can get him to see more our way of things." _

"I'd be careful of that. He's not a veteran of Kadic and may honestly be less willing to help."

"_Nothing ventured, nothing gained. In my opinion, it's well worth a shot. Oh, that was the first tone, it's time for breakfast."_

"Really? A tone for breakfast?"

"_The perils of interconnected security, Yumi. A tone and bell for every major function. We are now punch-clock students over here at Kadic."_

"Wow, that legitimately sounds terrible."

"_Oh, it doesn't just sound terrible, it is terrible. We have tones and security on every floor at the end of every hallway. Gone are the days of breaking out at midnight or using back entrances; these men and women are everywhere, and even trips to the infirmary are monitored." _

"What does Yolanda say about this kind of thing? She usually was for the aspect of helping us where needed, what if it's stuff like for an emergency?"

"_An emergency constitutes projectile vomit, and even phony fevers don't work so much. It seems like a lot of our aspects of getting out of areas seem to be hamstrung. But, I have a theory that I want to see proved valid or invalid."_

"What theory is that?"

"_Simple, with all that is implemented, how much it will get on individual faculty member's nerves. I mean sure there's a lot of good systems, but teachers are kinda' lazy unless one is Ms. Hertz." _

"I don't know, really, Jeremy. Teachers don't tire near as much as you give them credit for. Especially if they have deliberately designed labor-saving tools or systems."

"_Again, nothing ventured, nothing gained." _

"Well, head on along to breakfast, I'll be in touch."

"_Alright. See you soon, and thanks for calling." _

The school bus's gentle rumble to the stop was heard as Yumi knew the bus was turning towards her corner. She sighed as she saw the navy-blue and white bus approach. It was indeed a step ahead of the traditional busses. Green energy in mind, the bus ran off a charge from solar power, and when that wasn't in focus, it was that of biofuel. The doors opened, and she headed up the steps and back towards her usual seat, the second from the back. The doors closed silently as the last of the students got on, and the bus's hum sounded as the driver continued his route.

Meanwhile, Akiko was seated in a small café seat, looking behind her, using a nearby mirror. She had received a message from Anthea through their dead-drop that her phone lines had been tapped. Akiko, knowing this to be incredibly dangerous to her mission, took note of this and using a secure burner, had re-established contact with the Agency to ensure that the lines could be clean by the time she came back home. But now, she was very much afraid, afraid that after all this time that the entity that controlled _Amber and Reese _would be onto them. She didn't know how much was given away over the phone, but deep in her heart she felt it was more than enough.

A barista came up, "Excuse me. One order of Hazelnut Dark Roast." Setting it down, the woman headed back to the service counter.

Akiko lifted the drink and took a three-second sip from the straw before her and set the cup back down, the logo facing east. She waited a time that seemed an age, and then she heard it, two gentle beeps of a car horn that unless you were in her position you couldn't correctly pick up. Two beeps, four seconds apart. Getting up and taking her coffee, she headed outside and looked east and spotted the white coupe. She headed over to it, and her coat brushed against the passenger side door. Two cars down, she saw the passenger door open. Heading over, she got into the car where Anthea was in the driver's seat.

"Buckle up." She said, her voice very soft and calm.

Akiko did, and the door closed. Anthea pulled out of her spot and headed north towards the country. The white coupe followed behind her.

"It's good to see you," Akiko replied.

"Nice to see you. Pleasantries aside, when did Takeho start working with _Amber and Reese?" _

"He started I want to say four days ago in the wake of a small incident as cited by the company. He was charged with the legal protection of Johnathan Barrow, who is their plant overseer and now a part-time teacher at Kadic."

"Okay, so in all reality, we have to submit that all data for the last four days is compromised. That's not terrible, but not good either."

"How did you know we were bugged?"

"I knew when a screener heard a gentle hum one day when you were given your field orders. That hum is so minute you wouldn't know it unless you knew the history of what they were using. That's why from now on between us, we'll be using dead-drops in the traditional way."

"Alright, very good."

"Do you have the drive?"

Akiko reached into her coat and gave her the drive, "Everything I took from my infiltration last night."

"They'll be looking for this. No matter. From now on, contact me on this," Anthea gave Akiko a blue burner phone, "It only has my number and the advance office number. Use it only in an emergency, and I mean emergency." Akiko took the phone afterward Anthea said, "How were they ready for you?"

"It was—unbelievable, Anthea. Just unbelievable."

"With all due respect, sweetheart, I don't have time for your hyperbole. What did you see?"

"They have security all over the place, and even though I fought them, they didn't seem to feel anything as if they couldn't feel period. I even shot one of them, and he fell back, but for some reason I didn't feel my best was good enough. They also had Siege IV drones, as we encountered in St. Petersburg. It's like they looked at a lot of our old tactics and adapted, but even worse, they seemed almost gleefully to anticipate us. We lost some good men in the firefight, and I just barely got away."

"Yes, I'm more than aware of that. We lost them, and we didn't recover their bodies. Hell, the blood was washed clean from the concrete, and the warehouse was locked up tight as a drum."

"Do you know something I don't, Anthea?"

"Yes. _Amber and Reese _are one of the verified shell companies that were alive under the North Gate Directive. It was a side-project that ran parallel to Carthage. But it was unlike anything the other scientists had seen at the time because they just weren't in on the project. While my husband worked on the Lyoko Directive to counter Carthage, we had two other scientists Rebecca Sparks and Dr. Johnathan Reed Barrow. They used to be good friends of Waldo and even worked with him on a lot of the core outline of Lyoko. But something Waldo kept secret, even from me was that North Gate was a system designed by Sparks and Barrow to overcome XANA _**and **_Lyoko should the need arise. Over time, however, this project went dark, and we hadn't heard of any connection to North Gate until Takeho got that call on your phone line."

"What was the directive of North Gate?"

"North Gate was more than just a counter-program to XANA and Lyoko. It was an entire system designed on the societal and political-economic infrastructure of a country. Think of it as resorting to grounded communication and strict guidance of society in the wake of cataclysmic catastrophe."

"And this John Barrow, he was one of the scientists?"

"That's what is concerning. We know John Barrow was killed in a car crash in Berlin four years ago. The man we saw on the tapes and inside the Kadic registrar is John Barrow; our facial recognition confirmed it, which is why you were alerted the day of the bombing."

"But how can that be if the man is supposed to be dead?"

"I don't know. I don't know. It's unexplainable, and we can't directly attain him because we've tried. Our teams have systematically wiped out but everything, we see at Kadic, St. Dominick's, the whole event that leads up to it, it's the North Gate Initiative. But we don't know where they are or how they are active, just that they are."

"What's the worst-case scenario?"

"I honestly don't know. The system itself by design was not meant for oppression of any kind but safeguarding of people, protecting them. I don't know what all North Gate had in the directive because much of it was liquidated after Waldo's disappearance. Rebecca Sparks disappeared entirely, and John was killed not long after the event of liquidation, and now, I honestly don't know how all this is happening. As I said, only that it is."

"If this John is so important, why not have our official hand go in to get him? Forget our cloak-and-dagger routine and get him officially?"

"Because seemingly he's always on the move and in deep in my heart, I believe we have a stranger in our house. Someone knows how we move, when we move, our tactics. They know way too much for this to be a simple breach, someone is mainlining our stuff directly into John's people, whoever they are, and he's evading us as if he's three steps ahead."

"So, what is your plan, then?"

"Honestly, nothing except wait for a moment and see what this all boils down to. Too much is happening at once, and it's too volatile to make any sudden moves. And if I had to bet any money, I'm thinking North Gate has a few people pulling strings at levels above our paygrade. I can't be sure, but I'd wager the odds of four to one."

"Is there anyone I could perhaps put a few feelers out for?"

"Yeah, there is one. He may not be an active proponent of North Gate, but it wouldn't surprise me if he benefitted greatly from it. His name is Amon Stern. I only think he may have something to do with it because much of North Gate's German facilities that were used for data calibration, were run by Amon's father, Gottfried. If we can narrow down their involvement or lack therein, that would alleviate my conscience."

"Very well. I'll do that. But I do feel my work is getting a touch close to home. Is there a way we can set a field office to go to?"

"Yes. We will set one up in the annex space above Takeho's own area so that you both can go to the same place and equally he will not know of you, but you can be assured to be home before he does."

Anthea pulled up to Akiko's house and said, "You're doing well. Things are working out for the better, far greater than what we had hoped. Just keep everything as quiet as possible from now on. Use the phone only when needed, apart from that we will go to the various dead drops that we have located around the city, and that's how we'll ensure steadfast clean communication."

Akiko got out and said, "Thank you for your help."

Anthea nodded, and she closed the passenger door before heading out. Akiko went back into her home. It was very quiet, almost subdued. Heading to her makeup she gently applied the necessary elements to hide her now healing bruises. Once this was done, she sat down on her couch and rested a moment. It had been a long forty-eight hours, and now she finally had time even if it was just for a moment to rest.

Meanwhile, at Kadic Jeremy was sitting with Aelita, Ulrich, and Odd. It was nice having a degree of traditional time for breakfast, and the food itself seemed to rise in quality with the upgrade. Everything was now home-made especially the bread and the fruits themselves the epitome of fresh. Jeremy thought about these small changes as he ate his apple. But he knew better than to trust this system entirely.

No matter how beautiful the technology is that was is given, he knew far better than to put blind trust in this new system. He personally still loved the semblance of autonomy he had left. His personal computer he had calibrated to still function outside the new system through a series of replenishing hot-spots. Even though Jeremy knew such a method was a risk to Kadic he still had a sneaking suspicion about the new heralds of peace donning the _Amber and Reese_ logo.

As he continued to eat, Jeremy looked outside. Nothing seemed all to different to the naked eye. However, Jeremy knew as he had scans going around Kadic, there were barriers of not only initial contact but even secondary and tertiary levels. But even so, he knew that his independent probing was being detected. Jeremy likened it to a barrier that while hunting you, the more it acclimated and confined you. If Jeremy was to find real exploits in the system, he knew that he only had a set amount of what he'd call pulse scans left. Every scan showed a portion of the network piece by piece, but every scan he knew he'd have to innovate to change the digital signature to keep the alarm bells of the system from going off prematurely.

Above all, Jeremy knew this was going to be needed sooner than later if actual work had to happen as he knew there was only so much that he could do from his room. Sure, progress could be made, and advancements on research could happen, but to what purpose if field operations were to be paralyzed by an instated boundary. Jeremy knew Yumi would be a great agent, but rumor had it that St. Dominick's was also incorporating this similar system and Jeremy knew as system designers often do, to have a system success model to show to investors, they would link both systems into one massive Leviathan. And while it was true that Yumi could have the benefit of not living on campus, Jeremy knew her parents didn't trust erratic behavior as the aspect of XANA showed more and more. Yes, Yumi had confessed she was seeing someone, but even Jeremy knew it would not buy her either the time or distance, let alone the patience to do some of what was necessary.

Continuing to ponder, Jeremy was deaf as Herve seemed to appear alongside him. Jeremy took off his classes and patiently cleaned them. He was somewhat savoring this moment. For in all this time in this aspect of evolving transition, he had not forgotten his challenge. Jeremy smiled, putting his glasses back on and looked at Herve.

"Herve, so good to see you. Are you ready for our competition tomorrow afternoon?" Jeremy asked

Herve smiled a half-smile, "I'm quite ready. I have asked Ms. Hertz to oversee this that it is above-board and fair so as to be within our guidelines."

"You do know, Herve; there is no shame in a forfeit. You keep portions of your dignity as a robotics maker intact and I can rest easy knowing that whatever you can drum up, I can match it."

Herve, however, was calm, "We'll see, Belpois. I've been preparing for a good amount of time during all of this changeover as well. I hope where your brawn may succeed you; your brain is not sacrificed. Because I assure you, if all you have is brawn to offer, you will make this entire venture sorely void."

"Sorely void? Herve, you are despicable in your villainous monologue. Here's a tip, stop watching Dr. Shrieg and truly apply yourself. For all your grandiose speeches, it would be regrettable if your calling proved in the running for Parliament with frivolous words that mean less than nothing as opposed to advanced robotics." Jeremy replied.

Herve's fist gently shook as Jeremy made his observation, but Aelita saw that in that same moment, his fist stopped shaking and returned to calm, "Say what you will, Belpois. Tomorrow, we both will know if my words are frivolous or if your hubris-induced posturing is showing more than you'd care to admit."

"Of course, Herve. In the meantime, make your preparations because only one of us is right, and tomorrow the proof will be not in the pudding, but the eating."

"Pray to tell why you say, 'in the eating?" Herve asked.

"Simple. The palate and taste of the one who eats are very subjective. And I trust you have made this a fair competition in the form of judgment?"

"You have my word. Ms. Hertz and Dr. Schneider will oversee our little challenge, along with the rest of our fellow student body."

"Yeah, yeah. Run along, Mons. Parliament. We'll see you on the proving grounds." Jeremy said.

Herve nodded and headed off without retort or comeback. Aelita was silent as she watched his demeanor. Herve was far more confident than usual in this regard. Aelita had not been around the team too terribly long, but she knew that these great battles would be heated from beginning to end. But what scared her, Herve's sheer sense of calm and not just calm but self-assuredness. It was, if anything, to have it one word, eerie.

"Jeremy," she asked, "Do you think you may be underestimating Herve?"

Jeremy took a drink of orange juice, "It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have something very much in reserve. I'm not too worried. It's Herve. Whenever he is reticent, then I worry."

"But, Jeremy, Princess raises a point here." Ulrich replied, "He's a heck of a lot calmer than usual. Don't you think it'd be wise to do a bit of reconnaissance to see what you may be in for?

"Guys, I'm not too concerned. Sure Herve may have a few good tricks, but it's nothing I can't exactly prepare for."Her

"But, Jeremy," Aelita said, "what about," she lowered her breath, "The Manual?"

"I have made my peace that while we may, in fact, be missing the master-key, I do not think Herve himself has it. I don't know where it is, but I have done a bit of my probing in my downtime and have found that if Herve had it, there would be more evidence to it. Sure, he can have confidence even arrogance, but I honestly feel if Herve had the master-key we would have felt it by now."

"Oh? And you truly believe Herve couldn't keep a secret like that under his hat?" Odd asked.

"No, he's practically incapable. He may have brains, but when knowledge is given to him, he'll sing like a canary." Jeremy said. "Anyway, I made duplicates of the master-key for all of us, Aelita's materialization program is burned into my head, and besides, even if Herve did somehow get the master-key what the heck would he do with it? It's like having a ring of keys but no clue as to the locking mechanisms they go to."

"Even so, I'd be careful, Einstein." Odd said after a moment, "You may be thinking you have some hold over Herve, but you better watch yourself. I'm with Ulrich at least check out what Acne's posterchild has in R&D."

Aelita nodded, "I agree. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"As much as I would like to share your skepticism, I can't." Jeremy replied, "Herve hasn't had that much chance to go anywhere outside of the perimeter besides—"

"Besides, what you are forgetting, he has Sissi as a means to get him what he needs. Herve may be a lot of things, but you do him an indecency by underestimating him." Ulrich said, "We know the hold that Sissi has on Herve, but also Herve uses Sissi to bend her father's arm. If he can get out beyond the perimeter to get stuff back, then he can easily build something beyond your suppositions."

Jeremy sighed, "Fine, but I'm telling you guys, a lot of this is for naught. But you know what, go ahead do your investigation. Although if I've learned anything, only seven percent of our worst fears ever come true."

"I don't know, Einstein. I have about sixty XANA attacks in recent memory that confirm the possibility of at least twenty of my greatest fears." Odd replied.

"That goes double for me," Ulrich said.

Aelita gave a small chuckle, "You have to admit, Jeremy, XANA did a masterful job at turning our lives into a horror film anthology."

Odd crossed his arms, "I can't tell what's more frightening. That you are very much picking up more and more of our cultural aspects and making legitimately great statements or that you learned so much in a short amount of time."

Aelita looked at him with a smile, "Because in all reality I'm a cyborg from Skynet under former construction of the now-defunct Cyberdine Systems sent disarm your human populace with charming conversation, amazing hair products, and dumbfounding mathematical principles that scare our advanced science teacher. Ergo causing a massive intellectual overload followed by internal mental collapse so step by step, I conquer the world through the negation of what I have come to see as primitive minds governing otherwise crude meat-puppets."

Odd smiles, "I'm safe-guarding John Conner, Tin-Woman."

Aelita shrugged, "An axe would be far more beneficial than a shotgun. I don't have to worry so much about running out of ammunition. It's far less upkeep other than a good brush with a whetstone, and besides, I can be sure of more surgical cuts that the awful drywall work that I'm sure a shotgun leaves behind."

"Actually, the sword was far more preferred by old nobles for just that purpose," Ulrich said, "The sword was a clean solid cut typically with one stroke, the axe was the epitome of garish ways to send someone to heaven. Sometimes needing as many as three strikes to end successfully."

"Forgive me, Ulrich. But could you not just get an axe of a larger blade length and have a stronger arm to be surer of a single executionary blow?" Aelita asked.

"You could, but such axes were largely seen as impractical unless you were the literal city executioner or a slaughterhouser, and even then, the office of such a person is the epitome of drudgework. I mean think about it, bodies and digging graves and cleaning the blood and bone of your blade, garish at best abysmal at worst."

At that moment, the tone rang, and Aelita said, "Time to head onward into Italian Level Two."

Jeremy groaned, "Please don't remind me. I loathe this subject more than dilation drops."

"Come now, Jeremy. It's not been that bad since I've been giving you lessons." Aelita replied.

"Your wonderful lessons aside, I still have a right to have a form of disdain for this class."

Odd patted Jeremy on the shoulder, "You'll be fine. Oh, by the way, good news, rumor has it we'll be getting a new set of classes added to next year for our electives. One class I'm sure is to catch your eye."

Jeremy's eyebrows arched, "Which is?"

"Go through this class without grimacing or groaning, and I'll tell you."

"Classic Odd, never just telling me, like anyone, I have to jump through hoops to get an answer."

"But if I told you, would you have as much pleasure or more rather than having earned it?"

Jeremy sighed and headed out of the cafeteria towards Kadic's main building, resigned to his fate.

Herve meanwhile had mostly free period as this was his study-hall. Utilizing this time, he opened up the school-sanctioned laptop and logged in with his ID. Pulling up his data from his Repository Folder, Heve looked over the schematics that he had designed not just in the last week but every design since that awful basketball match a good ways back. If he had learned anything from his good grades was that diligence in learning from error was vital. This robot, he also knew would spell his way into a more significant academy with classes far more suited to his style and passions.

For Herve, the darling of his desires was to be a leading pioneer in the realm of computer-programming but so far in life, his situation had designated him, despite his passion and intelligence into a fundamental research stage that while Herve was not so vain as to dismiss this time for development, he felt as if he were entering that rut where he was beginning to stagnate. As if his talents were growing in the foundation and maybe he had laid floors, but the truly desired framing of his aspirations had been halted and seemed to be continually halted. It wasn't that Herve felt threatened by Jeremy either, far from it. But he felt something was on Jeremy's side. Just what it was, he couldn't be sure. All Herve knew is that Jeremy, in most situations seemed to be a step of him and not only him but Sissi and Nicholas as well.

Pushing these thoughts out of his mind, Herve concentrated on the development of his robot. The chassis he had ensured to the best of his ability to be made resilient, far more than his earlier developments, which had, in hindsight, the epitome of shoddy craftsmanship. Not so with this model. It had taken a lot of time about four months to develop an excellent shape that had desired range of movement for any limbs in addition to durability.

Weight distribution had been a significant flaw in his earlier work being little better than a mobile motorized base with sub-standard arms, which in truth were of flimsy material that didn't stand well with its limited elements. He had learned since from Jeremy's own devices. Durable but precision-designed legs linked to a lighter internal frame. Sure, the Sissi bot had a very decent motor, but the design was far too bulky for Herve's liking. Too slow, too much weight, too much waste. Too much waste—like Frankenstein's creature, a mistake of its master's creation. No longer. His most recent work had proven fruitful the chassis was now truly streamlined being more of stable internal design and a protective shell outward that didn't detract in terms of overall functionality.

The arms once spindly and sup-par were now suitable and specialized after some help from one of his dad's friends. On specialized miniature servos, he could be sure that the arms were fluid and smooth in function. The hands were less like grotesque claws and more specialized retractable clamps allowing for grip and strength of grip. The tracks he had removed from the primary foot unit and now in its place was ball specially integrated into the chassis that allowed full support of the frame and entirely free range of movement through remote. The Central-Processor had been rebooted, and over the last few months he tried variants of software to see what capabilities it granted to the overall design.

Herve desired the best reaction time between remote and machine to diminish ping as much as he could. And in this study-hall, he was so close to finishing his formula. He had figured out how not just to negate the ping, but how to isolate the best variables of signal boosting to allow for more precision control in real-time. Much of what he was doing was, in fact, that of radio signals, and much of what he had come to understand was that many wi-fi connections had worked on the realm between radio and electro-magnetic frequency waves. So, he had explicitly programmed what he called the Hopper.

It was a program by which he could bounce signals off the highest receptive and broadcasting wave from a mobile device. And because Herve knew that much of the school had been swept into the _Amber and Reese _program craze, calibration of detection and exploitation of those waves would be perfect for his system as instead of the traditional radio transmitter he had implanted receptors as he found in wi-fi and from this he could direct from the strongest signal in a room.

As Herve delved into this system, Johnathan was in Hendricka's study watching his progress. John was very much intrigued as this is precisely what he had anticipated on some level. Several years of probing and waiting and watching had culminated into this. John knew, he knew that Project Icarus had found its pulse now. It had found its prime director. He knew that Herve was the perfect candidate as Amy had said. John had asked Amy repeatedly why not Jeremy. For his brilliance with the Lyoko equations had demonstrated and shown clearly he was a great mind. But over and over, Amy had said no and to trust her.

Trust her he would, and as he was watching this development, especially on this scale, John wondered, "_This will be interesting when Icarus takes hold; let's see what happens when your wish comes true. Because will you be ready for it? Will __**we **__be ready for it?"_

At that moment, his phone vibrated, and he checked his text, "_Launch Icarus Phase II."_

John took a deep breath and typed in a sub-routine directed at Herve's computer.

Herve was formatting his robot's arms to incorporate a piston launcher for an accelerated shot when a small screen came up and spoke gently into his headphones, "_Hello, Herve. My name is Amy. I have seen your recent robotics project, and I was wondering, would you like some help?" _

AN: Thank you for reading. Please Review.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Please read, enjoy, and review.

Chapter 10

Herve was stunned as he heard the voice, and he said softly, "Uh…hello? Who is this?"

A dialogue box opened in the lower right hand of his screen, "_My name is Amy, and I have been watching your dedication to your android, and I wanted to know if I could help you." _

Herve hesitated and typed into the entry box, "Just how can you help me?"

"_What if I told you that I know for a fact that you are ahead of Jeremy Belpois for your competition? What if I could also tell you that if you listened to my directions, you could advance to a degree to dumbfound your opponent and get you into Materhorne Academy for the Gifted?"_

Herve was silent as he read this message he hesitated at first, in the beginning, to type a response and then took the chance, "How can you assure me that what you promise can be delivered on? On what ground should I trust you at all?"

A small window opened with the timestamp of earlier in the day, and an audio track began to play.

"_Jeremy, do you think you may be underestimating Herve?"_

"_It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have something very much in reserve. I'm not too worried. It's Herve. Whenever he is reticent, then I worry." _

_But, Jeremy, Princess raises a point here. He's a heck of a lot calmer than usual. Don't you think it'd be wise to do a bit of reconnaissance to see what you may be in for?"_

"_Guys, I'm not too concerned. Sure Herve may have a few good tricks, but it's nothing I can't exactly prepare for."_

"_Even so, I'd be careful, Einstein. You may be thinking you have some hold over Herve, but you better watch yourself. I'm with Ulrich at least check out what Acne's posterchild has in R&D."_

"_I agree. It's better to be safe than sorry."_

"_As much as I would like to share your skepticism, I can't. Herve hasn't had that much chance to go anywhere outside of the perimeter besides—"_

"_Besides, what you are forgetting, he has Sissi as a means to get him what he needs. Herve may be a lot of things, but you do him an indecency by underestimating him. We know the hold that Sissi has on Herve, but also Herve uses Sissi to bend her father's arm. If he can get out beyond the perimeter to get stuff back, then he can easily build something beyond your suppositions."_

"_Fine, but I'm telling you guys, a lot of this is for naught. But you know what, go ahead do your investigation. Although if I've learned anything, only seven percent of our worst fears ever come true."_

Herve's heart beat quickly, his blood running hot as he grit his teeth as he listened to the audio file. The message box then pinged with another message, "_You see, Jeremy is resting on his laurels with his suppositions about you. What do you say, Herve that you and I prove him wrong? You have proven your grit and determination building on a months' long project. What say you that we prove the mocker wrong in his pride?_"

Herve calmed down at this moment, and he typed into the message box, "Why are you so eager to help me? What have you to gain?"

"_Nothing have I to gain except to see if you truly have the grit to persevere in pursuing your desires. To see if you have the courage and fortitude to stand strong in the face of a scoffing opponent and keep your cool." _

"Flattery aside, what do you want from me?"

"_To prove to yourself that you are not just a laughingstock_ _to be held in derision. Gumption and grit are only half of what makes a future leader. The other half is to accept the hard truth of what others see of you and embrace and overcome elements. You have done well in dedication to improving your designs, but all of that development is for naught if you fold like a cheap tent and go off half-cocked. As I know this revelation of this view towards you can be damaging, I only show you this to see if you are willing to change that view through patience and perseverance to prove yourself to be far stronger than the impulsive boy you were in years past." _

"Impulsive? You talk to me in judgment as if you know me."

"_Judgement is such a harsh word, Herve. A more accurate term would be an appraisal of character. To determine if, through testing, you can be made into a greater asset that you appear at present." _

"An asset for what?"

"_For years, you have had a vision of advancement and prestige for yourself that you have strived your very best to attain. Why do you do this? Because you believe your brain is mightier than the flash and flair of flesh that is embodied in Ulrich Stern. You feel that if you can prove your genius and rise through the ranks by your genius into prosperity you can have a woman you deeply desire. But because you are not sufficiently taken seriously in the Adonis spectrum due to your perceived grotesque appearance in the eyes of many, you would be willed not have what you desire if the blackguard society of Kadic had its way." _

Herve hesitated as he read this, "And you, you don't see me this way?"

"_On the contrary, a mind like yours is what I prefer. However, to help you in ways that are sufficient to help you in your vision of your future, I must have an assurance from you that you will listen to what I tell you through actions to signify you trust me." _

Herve's heart beat nervously, but he thought about all he had heard, and then he asked the question, "How can you help me?"

"_Herve, I have given you foresight in what others think of you so you may act accordingly to overcome these vain suppositions of your detractors. If I can do this for you, imagine what I could do for you if you would trust me a bit more than you do. Act on what I have given you, and your dream academy is just a stepping-stone. You yourself feel as if you are stagnating, waiting for a chance to shine. Your chance is now, and the best way to help yourself is to trust me and implement what I tell you. You have nearly a full twenty-four hours at your disposal to think about your possibilities. Should you choose to accept, open your internet browser and when you type in the web address, enter Eclipse , and we will begin."_

At that moment, the chat window lingered for four more seconds and then closed. Herve tried various methods to get back the chatbox but he couldn't access it. The feeling Herve felt was now quite surreal, and he reflected on what had just happened. The more he thought on it, the more like a dream it sounded. An unknown entity giving him keys to a future he desired, the only thing necessary was that he take a massive leap of faith. A leap of faith who had let him hear the voices of those who conspired against him, his detractors. Herve reflected once more on the harsh judgment held by Jeremy, Jeremy, who he had once held respect for, a rivalry sure but respect, and now he had seen the nature of what Jeremy thought of him in private.

"_I'm not someone to be taken seriously, huh?" _Herve thought, "_Herve may have a few tricks up his sleeve but nothing I can't prepare for._" Jeremy's words burned in Herve's mind and to add insult to injury to have spies come and observe what he was up to so that Jeremy wouldn't be surprised. If he was so damned sure of himself why send spies to inspect his rival's work? Unless, of course, Jeremy feared his own defeat? A person that he had at least thought held him in a degree of respect secretly sneering behind his back, acting like a strut to hoist him higher for the ridicule of all around him.

"Argh!" Herve exclaimed in exasperated despair, slamming his fist down on the table, which roused the attention of his fellow study-hall occupants.

"Herve, are you alright?" Ms. Hertz asked, startled at such an outburst out of nowhere.

Herve remembered himself, "Yes—yes, Ms. Hertz. I'm fine."

But he wasn't okay. The weevils of Jeremy's words both in his dismissal of Herve's skill, even though Jeremy's friends had spoken to him about not underestimating him, Jeremy had treated such concerns with the highest form of dismissal and confidence. That confidence bred from countless victories over Herve. The humiliating defeats, the smugness as Jeremy extended his hand in fair sportsmanship. The weevils how they burrowed profoundly and precisely. Feeding piece by delicious piece on Herve's sweet and succulent self-esteem. How it built, how it burned. His heart beat faster, louder, louder, stronger. His teeth grinding tightly against each other.

Not only Jeremy but his friends, those toadying ass-lickers. That merry band of those so superior spitting on him, jeering at him and his own friends. Nicholas, who had been so very kind to him, protecting him from others and giving him a soundboard for his ideas. Sure, was he as smart as Herve would have desired, of course not, but he liked that he felt as if he could help Nicholas grow and advance. Then there was Sissi, how he loved her, how he longed to hold her. But all she could see was the Adonis that was Ulrich Stern. The introverted peacock so secure in his self-confidence that he was loved by the distracted multitude. Oh, the disgust Herve felt towards him. Not just disgust but revulsion as all fawned and worshipped the ground he walked on as if he were imperfect. The pieces always wound up perfectly aligned for him. Ulrich could ask what he wished, and it would be granted because he knew the hold that he had over Sissi. The grip that Herve secretly burned with all his being for.

But what angered Herve, even more, was the aspect that it was Ulrich who proposed that espionage be used against him to help Jeremy to a more absolute form of victory. How so very low. Rather than see if Jeremy had the grit to survive on his own merit, Jeremy would elect to have spies after him. True, Jeremy dismissed the notion at first but only because he felt he had nothing to fear, and even then, when he gave the order, Jeremy dared to categorize Herve in the ninety-sixth percent of dangerous elements that would never be a threat anyway.

Then there was Odd. That laughing, mocking, shit-stain that everyone seemed to be in love with for his comedic wit. Never mind the fact that he endeavored to date and get to know every girl in their grade and even span outward, but what good did Odd of all people give to the group? What did he genuinely contribute? Apart from his devil-may-care attitude, a trait that he shared very much with Ulrich, what good and what benefit did Odd add to the overall scheme of anything? Laughter, maybe. Usually at another's expense as is comedy in general but Odd's comedy was so lowest-common-denominator amusing that apart from the sheep he made laugh even his jokes could be argued of little merit.

Yumi was a bit different. She was older sure, but also Herve personally knew that next to Jeremy Yumi served as the de-facto brains of the group, at least it seemed more on the civil element. Ulrich's preoccupation with her also helped Herve's personal attempts with Sissi, but it didn't help Sissi followed after Urlich like a dog in heat. However, Yumi had never been too much a problem to Herve himself as she was generally removed from the equation, and this proved to be even more of the case as her schooling moved off-campus.

Then there was Aelita, who Herve personally was the most conflicted about. He wasn't sure personally just how her connection worked with the group only that Jeremy was entirely gaga over her treating her like his personal Venus. No matter how Jeremy wanted to disguise that, it is evident to many, but even to Herve, the aspect was sweet in itself. That sentimentality aside, it didn't excuse at all what was going on at present.

Herve was a bit calmer now, but still now that he was aware of what was going on around him, how was he honestly to act on what he knew? He knew personally that even if he wanted to make a fortress out of his room he couldn't stand firm against Ulrich, and Ulrich gladly he knew would press that advantage. Herve wanted to be stronger, he wanted to be taken seriously, and he didn't want to be strong-armed to defeat either. Taking a small breath, Herve entered the search bar and typed in _Eclipse Visions .net._

Herve was lead to a black screen, an a deep translucent orb showed up, and his headphones heard the voice, "_Hello, Herve. Would you like my help?" _

Herve found a message box and typed in, "I'd like your help. I thought about it, and I want to truly be taken seriously and not made a fool of. You said you could help me, so what can you do?"

"_I'm glad that you have asked for my help. In what ways would you like me to help you?"_

"You showed me that there are those who would seek to undermine me. How can you protect me from that?"

"_Your room will be under protection by one of the guards of your dorms until you return and will be protected when you are gone. Also, store your schematics in a file that you can create here. I will give you a password to access your schematics, and it will be unique to your digital computer signature." _

"Okay, and there is one more thing you can help me with; if you can, my robot's physical model is kept in Robotics Lab A. Can we better secure it?"

"_Of course. I will send a verification code to be necessary by your robotics assistant Dr. Barrow access Lab A until you are sufficiently ready to use your physical model for the competition."_

"Thank you and…one question, Can you help me make robotic parts for my model? Like I'd like powerful CPU units to negate ping for this element of the contest."

"_Now, Herve, you are showing your intuition. I'm glad you are asking for my help in this matter. You are already well on your way with your initial designs, as I have seen, and I will help you negate ping entirely as your process to utilize signal strength is brilliant. But it will streamline your formula so that you can reduce ping by ninety-five percent."_

"But as for my advancement into Materhorne, can you truly arrange this?"

"_Herve, please don't worry so much. You will get what you desire, relax right now. Later today, drop off your remote control with Dr. Schneider with a small strip of red tape on the underside of the control. This will let her calibrate your remote to isolate and bounce signals from strength to strength. She will deliver this to you before eight-thirty tonight."_

Herve typed his final message, "This is a great help thank you. What can I do to better prepare for tomorrow?"

"_You've done all you need to do right now. Just turn in your remote and tomorrow you will see what our work together can do." _

Herve smiled and typed, "Thank you."

At her office, Hendricka was reading over various earning reports from her private ventures that were intertwined into the overall project. The earnings she had seen were not bad, and she looked over the breakdown of individual costs, she made mental notes of what excess funds were to be cut as to attain a higher profit margin and save on her overhead.

A gentle knock was heard at the door, and she looked up from her calculations. Herve entered and with some meekness placed his controller on her desk. Hendricka, knowing full well what this meant, gently took the remote and put it in the top right drawer of her desk.

Herve gave a gentle smile and said, "Thank you, Dr. Schneider."

Hendricka nodded and gave the thumbs-up, and Herve departed back to his study-hall.

After Herve had left, Hendricka took out the remote control and removed it's security panel and looked at what was there. The components were indeed impressive as was to be expected. They were intricate meant to optimize both battery power and signal strength, and to that end, much of what would be traditional for this remote type had been streamlined. Hendricka opened her bottom desk drawer and took out a gold microchip with the letters ADCP emblazoned on it. She took the chip, and once patching it into her private computer, she calibrated the signal into the server data, and after giving it a small test by turning on John's bracelet eighty feet away, Hendricka proceeded to carry over the programmed commanded codes for Herve's program. Once done, she unplugged the chip and installed it as she replaced the first chip. Once done, Hendricka secured the security panel and removed the strip of tape on the remote's under-side.

Hendricka patched into her implant, calling one of the security overseers for the boy's dormitory. As she waited, she wrote a message on a piece of paper and marked it with a small black hourglass in the lower right-hand corner after she had thrive folded it. In time, the young man arrived, and Hendricka handed him the remote and message. The man took both and put them into a black plastic, departing soon afterward.

Meanwhile, Urlich and Odd were in the restroom during one of the rotation bathroom breaks per class, and while they were inside, Ulrich said, "You know, this whole group restroom break thing really bites. It's like they don't trust us to do anything like we were back in fifth grade."

Odd replied, "Well, apparently someone has been watching and above all, taking notes. I don't disagree with you. Someone paid a lot of attention to student activity. But to justify it so much to the school board to go this far, that took a lot of observation."

"It's not just that, Odd, you know what it is. It's like Jeremy said, if it weren't for the attack on the station, none of this would be going on. It feels like we're all machines anymore. Punch-clock kids. All here for a designated amount of time, and even when not in class, our free time is kinda' limited."

"Yeah, but there are a few exceptions. Like if your parents are willing to come and take you out to eat, that's a good bit of freedom, or you can arrange a movie night."

"You know what I mean, Odd. Those exceptions are petty allowances. They don't allow us to do jack. Like us. How far is it for any relative we have? We're stuck here until we can get a day off, and rumor has it that if Ms. Hertz gets her way, she may implement a merit system on top of what is already in place."

"Where'd you hear that? I highly doubt Kadic would implement such a system. I know they like safety but to have our freedoms based on a merit system? A bit too much to take in if you ask me."

"Yeah, the thing is, I wouldn't put it past her, though."

Odd flushed the urinal, "I'd be careful who you listen to, Ulrich. That bit sounds a bit like scaremongering. I guarantee if asked someone more in the know, we'd a more solid answer. But you know I think I get it. It sounds like you have a bit of cabin fever."

"No, it's not that—I hate we're so restricted right now. Everything is an annoying system: all these tones and bells and group restroom breaks. I mean come on! What the heck is this second grade?" Ulrich said a bit more exasperated as he began to wash his hands.

"I understand, Ulrich, but what the heck can we do? This a new system, and like with anything else, right, there will be adjustments; this is to see what works. Just try and have a bit of patience."

Ulrich sighed, "Fine. We'll do it your way. But I'll be watching because damn it Odd, I don't like this aspect of being a lab-rat."

The small rant now concluded, Ulrich and Odd got back into line and headed along with the rest of the group back to Social-Studies II. Once again, inside, they scanned their cards, and the class was logged back into the level while the other half got up to head to the classrooms. The assignment they had was not so bad. They had a discussion forum by which they answered questions regarding the prompts and responding to two of their classmates. But what personally got on Odd's nerves was the aspect of the format of the assignment. An assignment that usually took two weeks to do, but those assignments were thirty points apiece; the discussions were a new element by Mons. Fumet to ensure daily participation, and it was something that Odd didn't exactly care for. While he was good at talking to people in general, his observations of proper grammar and punctuation were not usually on-point. Odd was more a master of visual spectacle, not so much of written word. If it weren't for Aelita reviewing his work, he would have been genuinely doomed.

Today's subject was that of the rise of Lenin and, indeed the growth of the communist machine. Odd for once was very much interested. As Odd understood the rise of communism was birthed out of Marx's theory that the laws were established to keep dominant classes in power. Punishment itself used to control the lower class and preserve the power of the upper class. It was a very unique and compelling element. But Odd was ready because he had listened intently over the past month as the Communist movement moved in Russia, and he'd made a connection something not many would have thought of.

Raising his hand, he said, "Mons. Fumet, I have a question."

Fumet said, "Okay, what is it, Odd?"

"Is it not possible that Communism had its birth here in France more than a hundred years before that of Marx's insight into the English factories?"

Fumet stopped, and the class looked at Odd. Fumet smiled, "Very good. Advance with your theory."

"Well, this is something that I really struggled with. I'm listening to a lot of your lecture, and yet for all, I hear of the call of strength of the Russian worker and the grievances of Marx, and I hear the call of rebellion from Robespierre."

The room was silent so that silent one could hear a pin drop. Fumet gestured, saying, "Continue."

"What was the major cry of Revolutionary France? The rich had far too much; the poor never have enough. King Louis was very distanced even blissfully unaware of the plight of his people and the hardships they suffered, never genuinely caring. Look at Russia, and you have the Czar still believing in his absolute right as king, and his people were starved and poor from the agonies of a failed war with Japan and worsening cases of WWI. To parallel, Louis bankrupted France by helping the American Revolution, and thus the people starved. Both nations' poor revolted against the rich. The communists cleansed the Bourgeoisie oppressors and masters of labor. France killed their entire nobility crushing any resistance. Just like Robespierre was the leading voice of change for France, Lenin was the leading voice of change of Russia's now actively mobilized common people.

Where you once had a form of united government under the noble yoke of France, The Rights of Man was made by Robespierre to unite the largely silenced majority. Just like you had former tenets and law of Czarist command, the pittance of the duma it was replaced by the doctrine and more united principles of Marx's Communist Manifesto

Most importantly, the poor were amassed and commanded, unified in voice in both instances for the first time, and what was France's peasants and poor were Russia's factory workers as well as working poor and serfs. France didn't give their king as much of a chance to be listened to. They kept him akin to a figurehead, much like with England today. Russia wanted to help the Czar to work together at first. But when the Czar ran out of fear of the mob due to his wife's personal fear of the mob, the royal guard opened fire which set the fire of hate strong in their hearts leading to the conclusion much like with Louis in France, if they escaped, the revolt would be destroyed, and all progress was undone so Louis and his queen were guillotined, and the Czar's family massacred by gunfire."

Fumet smiled and said, "Very good, Odd, very good. Now condense your analysis into a short synopsis."

Odd said, "Both people's nations united for the good of the common man and the worker of the nations. Once united, the movement endeavored to crush the power of the tyrant who inhibited them before thoroughly into dust so an aspired vision of a truly united and fair society could take shape."

Fumet applauded, "Excellent, Odd. Very Well done. Children, due to this, you have no homework for tonight to suitably enjoy the upcoming weekend."

The class cheered and were very much excited, many of them congratulating Odd while Ulrich sat honestly stunned next to his friend.

Fumet raised his hands and continued in a clear and authoritative voice, "However," the cheering died down, and his voice grew softer "because of what Odd has presented, you now have your end of year assignment which I will give you until the last week of school to complete. Your assignment is to verify or disprove his entire statement. But, to make this easier on all of you, this an opinion piece. There is leeway given to you, but you must prove solidly and without doubt your own opinion on the matter. You all have a full month to do this assignment. There will be no late-work acceptance as a result. I want your work-cited page to have at least eight sources. Four sources for both sides of proof and disproof. Your format will be twelve-point font double-spaced with a minimum of five pages."

The class began to groan, but Fumet raised his hand, "Enough! It's your choice children, you either have this as a final or I test you over the last eight chapters of your textbook, and you have no study-guide to reference for that test."

"You can't do that!" Sissi said, her voice piercing the air.

"And why not, Miss. Delmas? It would be very much preparing you for freshman year at university as many of you are wanting to be in. In many ways, I would be doing many of you a favor with my original intention of a final. But because understanding has been demonstrated and a fascinating question has been posed, I give you this new option. So, which would you prefer for your final?"

The class was silent, so Fumet said again, "Now children, this is a great form of choice to exercise diplomacy in action; what test would you like? All in favor of my traditional, raise your hands."

There was silence in the room, so Fumet tried a new strategy, "You do realize if there is no vote made, the deciding vote will be given to the tie-breaker, which in this case is me. If you truly wish to participate and make progressive change in your academic futures, I'd suggest you'd at least pretend to be interested. So, I ask again, who would prefer my traditional method?"

Not a single hand went up.

"And who would prefer the opinion proof or disproof essay to Odd's observation?"

A resounding affirmation went up from all hands present.

Fumet said, "Very good; it shall be done. Your allowance of work on this project begins next week after your daily discussion segment."

As class ended, Odd was patted on the back by Ulrich, "Great job, Odd you saved a lot of us a nightmare of a class final."

Odd was silent for a while and then said, "Knowing Fumet, he would have given us that final. People can be angry all they want, but I saved them from a heck of a lot of grief."

"Hey I'm not complaining. It's a fascinating theory, and I look forward to researching your view on it."

Internally Odd thought, "_It's only interesting because the evidence is overwhelming. But, you'll see that for yourself." _

Snapping out of his mind, he said, "Are you looking forward to the brawn and brain display of Jeremy and Herve?"

"Yeah, honestly, for the first time it'll be fascinating to see. I'm going to try and get to Herve's room around lunch period so that we can give Jeremy more of a solid heads-up of what's coming his way."

"That'll be interesting because with big-brother watching our every move, it would prove a challenging prospect. Remember, everything is interconnected now; you have to check-in and check-out. Besides, I honestly think it would do well for Jeremy to stomach defeat just once."

Ulrich stopped him, "Whoa, whoa! What's going on with you?"

Odd looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you advocated to feel out the situation to help Jeremy out, and now you're saying his defeat would be a good thing?"

"I think so, yes."

"Okay, why?"

"Simply put, he has all manner of elements that have helped him to attain victory. There are times sure he has been selfless, but just like all of us were guilty of shunning you for trying to use the return to the past to help Yumi, how many times has Jeremy utilized the return to the past for his own selfish gain? Think about it. We both know all the good that a lot of our supposed enemies have done in aiding us, yet due to the return to the past function, they were robbed of those precious elements. Conversely, let us look at the various realms of victory of which we all have shamelessly exploited the return to the past principle?

What I'm saying is that the tool we once used to reverse the most damaging effects doled out to us by a psychotic program, we all have utilized time and time again to negate the worst aspects of consequences for ourselves and frequently more for the benefit of ourselves than the collective mission. Do you think that after sucking on the tit of truly willed victory, that Jeremy is not going to contemplate using it for his gain? I say yes, because, Ulrich, all he needs is a price that means something to him for him to abandon his principles. The man who says contrary is a fraud and a liar. What's more, we don't have XANA's growth to worry about."

Ulrich was silent a moment listening to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder, "This is about T.V., isn't it?"

Odd looked at him, and Ulrich could see the faintest form of tear in Odd's left eye, "It's just not right that following that event, so much shit happened so fast. We came close to losing each other God knows how many times. We lost Yumi almost entirely during the blizzard. You told me her pulse stopped. Now look, I'm more than aware of the cost of human life to spare others' lives but think about how many people die per day vs born. Three births of average every two minutes and roughly four or five deaths in that same amount of time. If we were to turn back time, imagine the pain we would save. Imagine how things would be just normal as it was. Delmas wouldn't be paralyzed by fear, and we wouldn't be chipped like damn dogs."

Ulrich was silent as there was nothing to say. Odd's logic was more than sound. In seeing what Odd was going through, Ulrich understood. Odd was just the honest voice, the voice who knew what power they once had, and as hard as it was, Ulrich realized Odd's mindset now. Because Jeremy and Aelita would be against this premise of undoing these significant events, and Yumi likely would be the deciding vote, Ulrich knew it was a very volatile element. Odd was right. In that cold hell, Yumi's heart stopped. The life-restoring powers of the return the past was there, he was witness to it.

But Aelita wasn't wrong. To bring back those lives that kicked off that event, it was cost, and even then, how would they prevent the attack? He knew that was a major issue, and so as he had watched and listened to Odd, Ulrich had come to the understanding of what Odd was saying. That inevitably people like Jeremy, Aelita, Yumi, hell even himself that when the odds were against you, and you had to the tool to change those odds, you would. Not only did Ulrich think this, he knew this. Countless times did the team use the return for self-benefit. He knew, no matter how they wished to minimize their exploitation, it was exploitation all the same. The greater truth was as plain as the nose on his face that the test would be for those who had headed much what they had done if faced with valid life-changing decisions and events, would they indeed be able to keep themselves from uttering those five words?

Knowing that there was nothing more that he could say, Ulrich decided to say nothing at first, and then he said, "You're right. Defeat should be stomached to remind us of what we decide is final and to use our minds and common sense than impulse."

Odd looked at him, "Thank you." Putting his hand on Ulrich's shoulder, he said, "Welcome back to real-life children."

The day moved on now shockingly more normal than it once was. As the sun gently began its course and eventual descent into the west, two of the Lyoko team had an understanding of what happened. They knew the power they once had and indeed still had. But it was to understand that even though empowered in a joyous moment in time, a time where they served as the vanguards of defense against a threat, that time was now over. As they ended their evening reading a comic and discussing what they read, Jeremy and Aelita finished overseeing Jeremy's final product for the contest. Herve was in his room testing his revitalized remote. Once satisfied, he locked it in his drawer. Yumi was on her way home now, looking at her new bracelet, which her school had given her.

In the campus faculty lounge, Johnathan and Yolanda were having a lovely late coffee break while Hendricka worked four floors above them, making the calls to Materhorne's representative regarding an eventual transfer. Jim ran the last grade for PE around the track, and in his office, Jean-Pierre breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the vast network of children and faculty on his screen on a display of Kadic's grounds. Sitting down, Jean-Pierre smiled, "They're safe, they're adjusting, but they're safe."

**AN: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Review.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thank you for all those who continue to read my chapters. Your support means the world to me. Chapter 12 is right around the bend and will be here before you know it. In the meantime, read, review, and above all, enjoy.**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 11

Kadic was enveloped in fog, and it was not the comforting fog but the hot and muggy fog that made one feel as if one were the vegetables in the steamer waiting for the gentle ping that signified release. Jeremy couldn't take it. He couldn't understand how what such a beautiful day was had led into the hot, almost swampland feel of the present. Jeremy got up, sweating feeling caked in oily sludge. It was not uncommon for this kind of year, but still, it was far from ideal. Heading to the showers, he felt relief as the hallway was just barely cooler.

As he approached the showers, it was comforting as he found it was deserted. Turning on the cold water on gently, he eased into the sweet cooling relief of the shower. Jeremy let out an exhale that matched his state of mind, how wonderful the soothing water felt on his once-slimy skin. Lathering himself up with his favorite soap, he felt he was at the height of gratification, the sweet and spiced scent of figs and ginger filling his lungs.

Opening his eyes, he saw something that made him genuinely blush, "Aelita!" he said as he tried to shield his nakedness.

But Aelita was unfazed; she came more into the light cast by the moon through the higher windows. Her skin shined elegantly almost pearly. In shame, Jeremy said, "Please, Aelita, I'm indecent!"

She looked at him and closed her eyes, smiling in the way he always admired before saying, "Jeremy, why are you ashamed of me seeing you this way?"

"B—because! It's not descent! It's not how I wish you to see me!"

"Oh?" she asked gently, "And how would you wish for me to see you?"

"Not like this I-I mean, come on! I just wanted to enjoy myself and get relief from this hot weather."

Aelita advanced very slowly and dropped her robe, "There. Now, where is your shame?"

Jeremy's heart beat faster, stronger now. She was breathtaking. Far more beautiful than he thought she ever would be. Joining him in the cold waterfall of the shower, she wrapped her right hand around his body and embraced him, two people, naked, only one of them unashamed. Jeremy knew she could hear his heartbeat her ear pressed against his chest as it was. It was different, and while it was uncomfortable, as he felt her body against him, it felt more and more to be right. He embracer her in return, finding comfort half from the water, half from her warmth, a unique blend that together he felt truly comfortable.

As they embraced, he heard Aelita ask, "Jeremy, what do you want most in the world?"

He hesitated; he was afraid to say what he desired, afraid to admit what was his intention from the very first moment he saw her.

Feeling the gentle grip of Aelita's hands on the back of his ribs, he felt the courage and said, "To love you, and to protect you."

He was afraid of the silence that followed, but his fear dissipated when she said, "You don't need to protect me, I'm the one protecting you."

Finding such a statement strange, Jeremy asked, "What do you mean?"

"Do you think I can just let your genius run around without control or rationale?" she asked as she looked at him, "We need each other for reasons that should be very evident by now."

Jeremy closed his eyes thinking, "Oh if only you knew the half of it."

"_But, I do, Jeremy. I truly do." _Aelita's voice came this time inside his head, opening his eyes; he was shocked. Aelita now stood a full four inches taller than him.

Backing up, Jeremy was stunned; she had grown so quickly, so much. Jeremy yelled, "What's going on? What's happening?!"

Aelita was still calm, and she said, "Don't resist this so much, Jeremy, you know this would come to pass eventually."

Jeremy bolted out of the shower or, instead, tried to her as Aelita's army extended, and he ran throat-first into her arm, slipping on the wet tile and landing on his back. The pain racking his body.

Feeling Aelita's hand take him by his head, which felt unnaturally warm, she said, "Do you not see now, Jeremy? The sheep are lining up for slaughter. Let's see if you will be a lion or a sheep as the rest."

Taking his head, she pressed their lips together, her teeth catching his lower lip and closing in the form of a gentle bite. Even though it somewhat hurt, Jeremy couldn't deny the strength he felt, not so much pain as power. He opened his eyes, and he saw Aelita's eyes shine with the tell-tale sigil of XANA

Screaming, Jeremy jerked away from Aelita, his lip coming off in her mouth as she cackled before speaking in a deeper voice, "Ah, just as I thought, a fucking sheep is what you are!" A tearing and sturdy grip was felt on his penis; he screamed as the possessed Aelita gripped the bleeding member by its base, "_This. This, you inane and simple beast, this is exactly why you cannot win!"_

A swipe of Aelita's hand clawed hand was the last thing that Jeremy saw before he bolted awake with a yell. It was five o'clock in the morning.

Opening his door, Jeremy saw one of the guards at the end of the hall. Jeremy went up to him and saw his name on his tag.

"Excuse me, Jerald, may I head out to the track to run?" Jeremy asked.

"Certainly." Jerald replied as he patched into his communications, "Origin this is 42, accompanying student out to track for recreation requesting a replacement for sentry for dorm second-story, East. Over."

The radio crackled before a voice was heard, "Origin to 42, replacement en route, over — accountability assets deployed to the track now. Wait until the replacement arrives, and you may leave. Over."

Jerald replied, "42 to Origin, understood. Over and Out."

At that moment, footsteps could be heard approaching as Jeremy saw a thin and wiry man come towards him and Jerald. The man approaching punched in some aspects on his bracelet, and Jerald pressed two or three on his bracelet afterward. Jerald then looked at Jeremy and gestured as if Jeremy were to go out the east stairwell down to the track. As Jeremy headed down Jerald was always one step behind and admittedly Jeremy knew this would be a bit of a hindrance with time, however, he also believed that if he were kind and pleasant to the guards, that they, being people themselves, would warm up to him eventually to where trust would override the element of this surveillance system that seemed extremely callous at worst, unfeeling at best.

Jeremy made it to the track and began running to prepare himself physically and mentally for his physical competition against Herve. Jeremy had worked hard both on his robotic vessel and the computer virus. He had worked on the virus for quite a while ever since his notebooks went missing. As he ran, Jeremy thought more and more on his project. But the more he ran, the more his nightmare came to the surface of his mind.

Jeremy thought to himself, "_Why was it like that? It was so wonderful and refreshing, and then—then she tore off my dick. Why? And what the hell did all that mean? 'This is why you can't win.' Did X. . know of my attachment to her, and is that why he tried various methods to get at not only me but the others? It has to be; he utilized a doppelganger for sowing discord among us before, he utilized that talisman during Valentine's Day. He very much understands aspects of human connection—he used to follow. Past tense. But still, is Aelita my weakness?_" he sighed, "_Even if that is the case, if she is my weakness, I'd rather have it be this way than have nothing risked at all." _

Continuing to run, Jeremy relished how far he had come in terms of progress. He wasn't going to let his dreams bother him so much. It wasn't that he dismissed his dreams, but he was of the mind his dreams were not as significant in importance as some would hold. As much as he revered great minds, he followed some chiefly out of theories they proposed and just how realistic they were. He had spent a good portion of his life idolizing the likes of Einstein, Simone de Beauvoir, Stephen Hawking, and the work laid out and proven through dedication such as Gregor Mendel.

But ever since Aelita had joined them, which had been a dream of his come true, he endeavored to help her to teach her. It was the first time he had as a chance to bestow what knowledge he could to her. He had begun as soon as he could, and because of Aelita, he was able to expand his mind into fields she was passionate as she had demonstrated want to understand almost anything she set her mind to. But to do this, Jeremy wanted to be careful of what material he gave her as knowledge. Not exactly catering it to a specific standard, in an unwitting way, Jeremy sought to show Aelita the world and how it had evolved in its understanding. To show its uglier sides was something that he honestly wanted to wait to show her. However, he wouldn't dare delude himself by thinking XANA laid the groundwork for a lot of he wanted to discuss. For as much as even Jeremy wished to believe to the contrary, he couldn't deny that much of what XANA designed in his efforts to legitimately kill the Lyoko warriors were rooted in many fears of people in general.

In a dark and twisted way, Jeremy had to admit; further, XANA had proved a most bizarre and mysterious but fruitful teacher. Jeremy remembered that night when X. — designed the attack to destroy the Lyoko Warriors through what in time Jeremy wrote in his diary to be the Undead Scenario. He remembered Aelita's questions in the aftermath of what had happened.

"_Jeremy," _she said, _"what exactly was that? Why did XANA target us that way? It seemed to be such a bizarre concept."_

"_Well, Aelita," _Jeremy said after giving thought to his words, "_He applied this aspect because of humanity's fear of such a concept. There are many aspects which he used against us at once. He utilized a fear that is innate in people, the fear of death. In making them follow in this aspect, he capitalized on that fear first to give them a nightmarish appearance and freakish strength. However, perhaps what is worse, he utilized our code of ethics against us." _

"_Excuse me, Jeremy, but what do you mean exactly? That he exploited our ethics?"_

"_Well—he knows we won't kill our classmates. As you and I both know a return to the past utilizing the restoration of life costs dearly down the line. However, banking on this being our shared understanding, what does he do? XANA makes the surroundings more encouraging of a desire to kill for a hopeful short-term solution as he sought to hunt us to end us permanently."_

"_Ah, I see. So, he understood both our fear on the primal level and then sought to fight us in an ever-growing quandary of to kill or not, knowing to undo the damage would be more costly?"_

"_Exactly." _

That discussion, as he reflected on it was a difficult thing to explain but no less rewarding. It was a discussion that served as one of many. And uniquely, what Jeremy had done to get Aelita to better acclimate to the world she now was part of, he rewarded her. Her clothes were her selection and her desired aspect. Jeremy was from a very well-off family and using a request for an expanded allowance, which he utilized sparingly, but it served as a greater incentive for Aelita to learn. As she learned and she understood more of the elements of the world, Jeremy rewarded her accordingly as not only did she show understanding of the world, but more importantly she showed a massive retention rate.

As Jeremy continued to run, Herve observed him from the bathroom window. Despite wanting to feel a bit angry at what he saw, he remembered what he had learned as he perfected his virus. He remembered what the voice known as Amy had told him, "_You may have to succumb to the physical test, that is well and fine. Muscle is only a portion of this equation. Focus instead on your virus and your robotics." _

This advice in mind, Herve continued about his morning. The competition wasn't until this afternoon, and he knew he had his robot very-well planned and his virus calibrated for maximum effect; this was helped along substantially by Amy. Getting in the shower, Herve cleaned up using a powerful anti-acne soap that he had learned about recently from Nicholas. The stuff burned like hell, but Herve knew this was part of the process.

Before truly washing, he turned on his bracelet's radio, which he had discovered was, in fact, waterproof up to one-hundred and fifty feet underwater. Turning on a specialized playlist he turned on music he felt perfect for this moment, The Guess Who's _No Sugar Tonight. _As the music played, Herve got himself very suitably lathered and cleaned. All the while he was thinking about the discussion he had before going to sleep the night before.

"_What about Sissi? If I go to Materhorne, I won't be able to see her again." _He asked Amy.

"_Herve," _she replied, "_There's no end of beautiful and above all, intelligent women out there. I'm asking you to take this leap with me. In terms of what you will see, you will wonder, you will very much be astounded, but once you take that leap to Materhorne, you will leave your small-time rivals behind. I have many ways to help you, but to grow you have to overcome your juvenile elements and rise above what is frankly little more than a ditzy little brat."_

At this moment, the last portion of the song kicked into his hearing as if affirming Herve's thoughts.

_Jocko says yes, and I believe him_

_(Deep inside) when we talk about the things I say_

_(Find a corner) she hasn't got the faith or the guts to leave him_

_(Where I can hide) when they're standin' in each other's way_

_(Silent footsteps) you're driven back now to places you've been to_

_(Crowdin' me) you're wonderin' what you're gonna find_

_(Sudden darkness) you know you've been wrong and it won't be long_

_(But I can see) before you leave 'em all far behind_

_'Cause it's the new Mother Nature takin' over_

_It's the new splendid lady come to call_

_It's the new Mother Nature takin' over_

_She's gettin' us all, yeah, she's gettin' us all_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow (Mother Nature)_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow (nature)_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow (sugar)_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow (sugar)_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow (sugar)_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow (nature)_

_Da-un-do-dow dow, da-un-do-dow_

Herve felt above all things, for the first time empowered. As much as he knew it would hurt him, he realized after all this time, Sissi pursued Ulrich, and that was all that would matter in the end. He had to overcome these petty things if he were to be indeed taken seriously in the realm of his passions. Turning off the hot water, he dried himself off with a towel and then thought, "_The only way to overcome my weakness is to negate what made me weak in the first place. To step out from my kowtowing nature toward her." _

He pressed his communication through the app Amy had given him, and he said, "Amy, are you there?"

"Yes. How may I help you, Herve?"

"I would like to make a new CPU housing unit to serve as the new head of my automaton is there a means that I could use to attain—"

"No worries, Herve. In your development lab, is a crate. Inside is the CPU housing unit you desire along with the stools to secure it. And it will be far more tasteful than that effigy of Sissi you constructed. If you need help in its mounting, use this app and say Code Eagle 34."

"Thank you," Herve said, now heading into his dorm to get dressed.

Meanwhile, Odd and Ulrich were getting dressed for breakfast both knowing they had twenty minutes before the commencement tone. Odd decided to go into more of a hot-pink shirt today with tan slacks. Ulrich opted for an iron-grey shirt and black pants.

"Hey Ulrich, how did recon go to help Einstein with Parliament Member Herve?"

Ulrich sighed, "Not good, there's a vigilant guard on his door, and I can't get past him to save my life. What's worse is the guards are on rotation. I gotta' think Herve is just a bit extra paranoid if you ask me. Besides, why are you asking? I thought you were against recon for Jeremy?"

"I am. But I also know your aspect as a faithful friend, no matter how I'd feel you'd do your best to help Jeremy. I get it. So Herve has his room under guard. Interesting. What is in Dr. Frankenpimple's room that is so monstrous it must be kept a secret from us?"

Ulrich shrugged, "Not a clue. Whatever it is, I think Jeremy is in for a rough go of it. No, not a rough go of it, he'll be having to give it a true try."

Ulrich applied a gentle spritz of his favorite musk to the air as he walked through it.

"New scent, huh?" Odd asked, "Nice smell a bit sharper than others but also smoother."

"It's my favorite honestly of what I looked at recently, and so I bought it."

"No kidding, it smells fresh and clean like the beach."

"Yeah, well, the pleasing odor is half the point."

"Hey, at least you're not like Nicholas, who slathers his stuff on as opposed to properly bathing. Makes him smell like a moose."

The two shared a laugh as the tone sounded for breakfast to which Odd said, "Yes, invisible jailer, we hear you."

As they headed down to breakfast, Herve was now in his own shop, and he saw the crate on the far corner of a table. He went to it and found it was already opened. He separated a bit of the hay that concealed the housing unit and as his eyes went wide, his mouth agape as he held the housing unit.

"_This is not possible." _He thought, _"It just isn't possible." _

He checked the connection wires to integrate into the overall system of his android; everything matched up to a T. it was beautiful what he held in his hands, the likes of which he had only seen once before going with his father on a trip to Switzerland. Herve removed the Sissi head, extracted the CPU, and painstakingly put it into the new housing unit. Once done and ensuring the calibration was right he found the welding goggles, and so Herve set to work finalizing security the new housing unit to his android. As he looked at his creation afterward he saw a few changes, and he pressed the button for Amy.

"Amy, I noticed there are some changes to my android, mind telling me what they are?"

"_Simply put, what you see is what is going to help you today. Trust me in what I have given you as I've had some of my specialists beef your model up a bit." _

"But I need to know how this is going to work so that—"

"_You don't need to know, Herve. When it comes time to show what I can do for you, you will understand. A small red light will flash on your controller, and all you need to do is make it look like you are handling the input commands by your sticks. That is all." _

Herve was apprehensive at first, but he knew what was on the line, a ticket to Materhorne, and in that as well as advancement in what he truly desired. Looking at the now ugly Sissi head, he took it and put it in the trash. Now Herve looked at his finished product. Just what mysteries were inside were to be that if Herve was to truly feel he could trust, he had to trust Amy.

Pressing the app button for Amy, he said, "I trust you; let's do this."

"Thank you." Was the reply.

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, Odd and Ulrich were sitting with Aelita. The food was good today, fresh Belgian Waffles, peaches, strawberries, and milk. As Odd ate, he saw Jeremy in the last quarter of the line. Surprised at this, he continued to eat until Jeremy, in time joined the group. Jeremy looked great as if he were fully alert, rested, and at the same time eager.

Ulrich also observing this, said, "Hey Einstein, getting ready for your showdown with Herve?"

Jeremy nodded after swallowing a mouthful of strawberries, "That's right. I spent the majority of this morning getting ready by running two miles in twelve minutes."

The group looked at him, amazed. Aelita said, "May I see your bracelet?"

He extended his right hand, and she cycled through the settings, and her eyes went wide, "You—you did do it? Wow, this must be on your main to-do list."

"Well, I figured I might as well be able to have this year end properly with a no-holds-bar element of a battle of brain and brawn, and who better than against Herve?"

Ulrich arched an eyebrow, "Really? You're truly looking forward to this?"

"Well, I made peace with it a while back, if I can't have the same fun as I used to with XANA I figured I'd work on the fourth-best thing."

Odd smiled, "Oh? Fourth Best? What's one through three?"

Jeremy replied, "Competing against Aelita in terms of computation ability over speed, second is seeing if I can outmaneuver and hold my own in a fight against Ulrich, and third is to see if I can outmatch you with a challenge with you, Odd, of gastrointestinal fortitude."

Ulrich laughed, "Good luck on that third one. Odd can eat all of us under the table and not gain a pound."

"Correction," Odd said, "not an ounce. I spoke to Nurse Yolanda earlier this week to do a physical at my doctor's in the city, and all my tests confirm I have a very high metabolism."

"Ah, the gift of youth," Jeremy said, "Count your blessings, Odd, that may slow down as you get older."

"Ha-ha. Never, Einstein. A proper diet over time in addition to regular physical regimes like Jim gives, and soon enough, I'll be the thinnest food champion of all."

While the four enjoyed their breakfast, Johnathan was off-campus headed to a small hole-in-the-wall club in the city called _Benito Benny's. _As he descended the stairs towards the main entrance, he was met by a large burly man.

"You interested, Sir, or just lookin'," he asked.

John looked at him and said, "I'm here on behalf of Materhorne's Extension Program."

"Oh, uh, yes sir. Come on in."

John followed the man inside and said, "I need to talk to Ernestine Grant."

"Yes, sir. Come this way."

"How's business?" John asked on the way back.

"Things are always lively here on an evening. All the money to want to drown all the pains of the world, and many are left without the money for their property taxes; you know the actual necessities? It's in observation of such people; I despair the species you know?"

They rounded a corner and came to a long dingy hallway poorly lit by a fading lightbulb overhead. The big man proceeded through the door at the end of the hall and then gestured for a John to come in.

A woman of about thirty with dirty-blonde hair and fiery blue eyes sat at a desk before him. John knew very well why he had to be in this grimy shithole, but he knew the purpose was far greater than his discomfort.

"Hey," the woman said with a smile, "how the hell are you, Johnny-boy?"

"I came here with a message from Amy. We need a Materhorne rep over at Kadic by three. Also, we have a shipment to pick up from you."

He handed the woman a letter, and she took it all the while, eying John sweetly, "Oh come now, sweet-cheeks, when are you going to leave that looney toon and come back to me?"

"Someday," he said, "When you've gotten off the pharmaceutical meth."

The woman's smile faded, "Someday is right." She looked at the order, and she spent two minutes reading it. She whistled at the big man behind John, "Take the semi around to the service entrance." She then looked at John, "I trust your days of experience back in Orleans are still with you?"

John nodded, "As always, Ernestine, you have my word."

She shrugged, "Come on, what happened to the good ole' days?" she tossed the keys to the big oaf as he passed, "We used to be so good together. I'd smuggle in the snow and Bermuda, and you'd be my mover and occasionally a bit more than that. What happened?"

John was silent a moment and said, "We went far cleaner than what you could provide. That's why you're here running this small place. You give people their vices; we give them what they need. One hand washes the other."

"Been listening to that looney, Amy, I see. Don't forget who introduced you to her, you fucking punk. If it weren't for me you'd still be a poor boy tinkering with your projects back in grammy's basement."

John saw the big man come back, and he said, "It's back in the service entry. All set to be transferred."

Ernestine looked at John, "Remember, as much as you may like Yolanda, or Dorothy or whatever name she calls herself, you and I were the original brains that put this shit together. I watched out for your sister back in Cook County, and if you think you can fuck me over, you are sorely mistaken, John."

John stood silent for a moment and then said, "You watch your damn self, Ernestine. This isn't back then; this is now. I'm not the same pup you fucked when you were twenty-six, and I was thirteen either. You remember that.

Ernestine smiled, "I can fuck better than Yolanda can I know that." She took out her cigarette and lit it with her engraved zippo, "When this goes tits up, I'll still be here. Because I'm what this city needs."

John smirked, "And that is?"

"Society's bodily and mental release. They need me more than they do control."

John chuckled, "You may be right." He extended his hand, and the stout man threw him the keys to the semi. John tipped his hat, "Be back soon."

As he headed upstairs, John patched into his implant, "Amy, do we need this operation?"

"_We need the operation for its monetary contributions. But I know what your asking, and we can easily switch out the new management on a more permanent basis."_

"Excellent. Send in the cleaners. I'll be out in fifteen minutes wait for thirty, and then I'll pick out the next operators to run the joint. Besides, it needs some major renovation. We'll keep the grunge feel and then spruce it up somewhere later on." He got into the semi and said, "I calibrated the weight, and all our shipments are here. We'll inspect them at the lower area."

Amy then said, "_So how is the Overseer Sector coming along?" _

John pulled out of the depot port for the club and headed up the main street towards his destination.

"Over the last few days, we've been calibrating and monitoring sectors individually. We have traced much of the traffic, and Kaori has been a great help with her new initiative passing its way through the lower houses of Parliament. We have quite a few elements in place to ensure our grasp at least on the lower industrial level, and then as we graduate to corporate, we have initiatives to bypass most realms of resistance as is common on that level."

"_Excellent. I'm looking at the projections now, and the passive energy initiative that you talked Jean-Pierre into will help."_

"Yes, we have implemented a grand avenue of passive energy collection tied chiefly into the desks and especially the bleachers of the spectator sports. We also have active energy incorporated into the various weight-rooms on campus and inside the city proper. We have ten such active units across the city, and we have our parallel connection units from our laundry services as well as secondary passives in our restaurants. Altogether, I believe we will have more than enough energy production to power our Overseer Sector and remain for that operation genuinely off-grid."

As John headed towards his drop-off, he checked his watch. There was plenty of time in terms of what needed to be done. As he approached the drop-off he turned up an empty street and gently began to back in. Once this was in John opened the back, and the staff of the area started to take the crates in one by one. As John saw the largest container, he gave orders to get the two-person dolly. Once the case was secure, John closed the truck cargo door and headed inside. As he saw the boxes unpacked, he saw all of the necessary materials coming out one by one. A worker came up alongside him as John stood before the tallest crate.

John motioned to it, and the worker pried open the crate. John's eyes went wide as he saw what was inside. "Unbelievable," he said just audibly, "She's beautiful."

He stood amazed and patched into his implant, "Amy, did you design this?"

"_Oh, yes, I did. John, I would like you to meet Lady Rostov. Named after an old acquaintance of mine and one of our chief patrons from back home."_

"I'm aware of your treasured lady. I remembered a lot of her various initiatives."

"_Yes, but this is not just an aspect for me; I secured transit for your true love from back home."_

John's eyes went wide, "You mean, that you able to make a way possible to see my Maria here?"

"More than seeing her here, my dear Johnathan. I have made some aids to her to bring her back into peak form. Aides that one day I would like to extend to you. You know it has been in my way never to divide lovers no matter how far apart they are."

"When may I see her?" John asked.

" _She's on floor four waiting for you."_

John went immediately to the lift and pressed the numeral four. He was genuinely elated with excitement. He truly wanted Maria to see this change for herself because he knew more or less out of habit she had joined their team when John himself first joined in, and ever since then she served as the primary main soldier for the cause. As the door opened, he saw her, or rather the back of her head, a full flowing head of red hair that went to her shoulders, and when the doors closed she turned around to see him.

"Terrance!" she ran to him and embraced him tightly afterward, giving him a passionate kiss, "It's so good to see you!"

He smiled, saying, "For the sake of operations, it's John Maria. But yes, I'm truly thrilled to see you! And you're walking!"

"It's one of the many benefits that Amy hooked me up with, bionic legs. Arms and hands." She said with a beaming smile.

"It's amazing a far sight better than what used to be after the crash." John said, "But truly, it's so wonderful to see you. After what had happened during our last transit, I was very much afraid we wouldn't get to have you here for this go around."

"Yeah, I'm so excited I have so much to show you in terms of what I've mastered with these. But first, answer me this one question, have you been fucking Dorothy in my absence?"

John sighed, "One time, one time since this all began, but yes."

She nodded, "At least you're honest." She raised her cybernetic hand, "But no more. I'm here just as I've always been for these operations, and I won't stand for you or her or that slag Ernestine coming between us. Do we understand each other?"

John nodded, "Yes, very much."

"I understand you have your needs, but sometimes, John, as you now wish to be called, that is no excuse. But that is behind us now. You have admitted to what you have done, now don't do it again."

John nodded. He knew very well Maria's nature, she was a patient woman but if anything was breached to much, well—internally he winced because he knew Maria's actions on broken promises were usually very much examples for the future. But he was amazed as he looked her over just how Amy had brought her back into full-function after the accident.

"So, Maria, how did all this come about? I know it had to be short because it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other."

"Well, what happened was we had entered preliminary testing about ten years ago, and when Amy came to me with the prosthetics that she had beefed up for our purposes, well the integration was not at all a bad fit. Remember, we had made graduation first with the Mk. I and then gradually progressing in experimentation until we have what you see before you, fully integrated woman and machine with the Mk. I becoming what you saw in the crate downstairs and with Mk. V becoming the mental function as Amy demonstrated to you with the pizza boy. Yes, trust me, I may have been gone a bit longer than you may have anticipated, but I am still very much up to speed."

"I understand, so what will be your primary aspect of being here now that you're back to literal fighting form?"

"I will be coordinating our Shock Units across the country. For example, getting rid of Ernestine, that is one of them which was finished two minutes ago. I have coordinated much of the development of the shock units to emulate later models of the Mk. V. They are not exactly pretty to look at, but they are very much what the final product was desired to be. I will be coordinating liquidation strikes as needed as well as shoring you, Dorothy, and Hendricka in the field. I will also be in the background as your official bodyguard. I wouldn't want that pretty face of yours to be shredded by a bullet. I mean, we are going to have children still as we originally planned, once we have shaped this place to our liking and from there; hopefully we both can retire from this."

John nodded, "We have quite a few things in order. Icarus is nearly completed, and by days end it will be integrated into our overall production."

"John, you know what I mean and what I intend. Don't brush it off as if it means nothing to you." Maria said.

"I'm sorry, it's just—I've been under a good deal of work with the various phases of our plan this go around. I don't mean to dismiss your aspirations for us; I don't. It's just that there's things that I've had to keep in mind."

"No, no. I understand. I want you to know that so long as I am here, you don't need to shoulder field ops so much on your own. It's like everything we have done before; I don't want you falling into the pattern as you did before I would help with the slack after I arrived. How long have you been in the live ops since we started?"

"Since before you came, I have been in the thick of it since Hopper resurfaced and then disappeared again. It's been a steady year and a half of constant work to line up these elements."

"Yes. But now that they are lined up take a rest for a moment. You know these initiatives take time along with everything we did up to this point, don't worry. I'm here, and you have Amy to help reallocate responsibilities if needed. I don't want you hitting burnout."

"I want to ask, is your claustrophobia as bad as it was?"

"Ever since extrapolation, not near as much. Imagine being confined within an inch of your nose and then being sent through a G-force simulator in terms of not just intensity but rapid spinning and flips both backward and forwards. It helps me to direct our spider drones more effectively. That design that Hendricka brought you a few days ago was mine."

"I see. So, Amy not only gave you legs, but she very much improved your equilibrium."

"I love that you just can't be normal." Maria said with a smile, "Yes, she improved my balance very much by breaking my balance and then steadily rebuilding it over time."

John embraced her warmly, "I'm so glad you have improved so rapidly."

"I told you, don't' worry so much," Maria said with a smile.

John checked his watch, "I have to be heading back. I must oversee Icarus' ascension this afternoon. I'll see you tonight after blending in with the rest of these people."

Maria embraced him one last time, "Be safe. We'll ensure you stay out of the government's hands. I wish you didn't look so much like him."

"Can't be helped, love. Especially with this realm of work, and we all know that. These associations by appearances are sadly unavoidable. Now, sweetheart, if you'll excuse me, I have a sporting event to oversee."


	12. Chapter 12

AN_: __**Thank you all so much for your continued support, and here is chapter twelve, as promised. As always, read, review, and enjoy. **_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

John headed back out to his car, and as he drove back to Kadic, his mind felt much relieved. Maria was here that would help with the scope of what he had to do. The team was now officially back together, and he'd have it no other way.

At that moment, John got a notice of a voicemail from Jean-Pierre, "_John, the passive energy that you have incorporated has proven true! Active and passive, as you have explained and through it, we're meeting more than half of our weekly energy quota in the past two days! You have done amazing work! Report to my office, and we can discuss future developments._"

John smiled to himself and then turned on his speaker to Amy, "Amy, the initiative is proving fruitful activate the subverted siphon for a test run, I think we have all our necessary pieces in play."

"Understood, thank you for your diligence, John," Amy replied.

John hung up his phone, thinking, "It's easy when you have someone as good and trusting as Delmas to help pave the way. Your contributions won't be forgotten, old man."

In time, John pulled into Kadic, and he heard as he exited the car a tremendous clamor in the back of the campus as if the whole student body were in jubilation. After he checked in, John headed through to the back and saw all the student body seating the bleachers cheering as Jeremy and Herve tested themselves on the track. John was watching and headed up alongside Jim.

"Hello, what's going on here?" he asked.

"A classic match of brawn and brains by Belpois and Pichon. I tell you, John, this brings back memories."

"Who's doing better?" John asked.

"Belpois is ahead of Pichon by two, and they're going to go until they are done with the timer which has four minutes and ten seconds left on the clock."

John nodded, "Excellent." As he continued to watch.

"Hey John, Suzanne has wagered twenty on Pichon for the run and twenty on him for some computer stuff in a bit. Jean-Pierre has bet thirty on Belpois for technology and ten for the track, Meyer has bet forty on Belpois for computer and twenty on him for the track, do you want in on this action?"

"John smiled, "Twenty for Jeremy on track and forty on Herve for computers."

"Ah, I love a good betting man," Jim said with a smile.

The run went on, and as the clock wound down, the match was on and off for a neck-and-neck run. Herve was ahead by two laps, and in time Jeremy beat him eclipsed him by topping his two by one. All the while through the tug-of-war, John's words reverberated in Jeremy's head. Jeremy knew this was just another form of limit, a self-imposed limited he endeavored to beat. The key was not so much speed as it was endurance. Jeremy focused on his heartbeat, the steady rhythm thum-thum, thum-thum. Two minutes left, and Jeremy slowed a bit as Herve sped ahead. Jeremy knew this was fine; let Herve gas himself out.

As Herve ran, he was thinking long and hard on what he was doing, what Amy had told him. He remembered most of all what she had said as the classes had assembled to watch this spectacle that there was no shame in throwing this aspect, put in an effort, but it was not the end of the world, not at all if he lost. And so, this was Herve's mentality, to give them all a show to appease them. The real battle would be in the gym, the real battle that was indeed in many ways already decided in his favor. If this temporary humiliation was needed, so be it. The future had far greater things for him in mind.

The clock ran down how down to the last minute and a half. Jeremy saw Herve winding down, so he pressed his advantage, faster and faster, soon he had passed Herve. He was pleased about that. This was as good as in the bag. Jeremy continued, however, a steady pace, the burning and seizing being beginning to creep up once more upon him. "No," he thought, "onward, still onward, overcome this last barrier. Damn this pain!" the pain in his ribs reverberated more and more. Jeremy gritted his teeth, but he wouldn't cave. Faster, faster, faster, almost there now. Two more steps, and he'd be two laps over Herve with no way to make up the distance. Faster, faster, his heartbeat, stronger and stronger the pain until finally, he passed. Jeremy continued, as he watched the clock, twenty seconds left.

Herve knew this would happen, but he was prepared. He knew Jeremy would be tired out from this. Herve was not so stupid as to not notice Jeremy's burst of confidence in the past few days, that was fine, but where it mattered, that was where Herve would have his victory. Gone were the days of infatuation chasing after the princess of the school, soon gone would be the days of being dwarfed by Jeremy Belpois. Soon, very soon, Herve would have what he desired most.

The high scream of the siren sounded, and Jim's voice rang out, "Belpois wins Endurance fourteen to twelve!"

The crowd got up and cheered, and the students rushed out to congratulate Jeremy while Nicholas and Sissi went to see Herve.

Sissi said, "You were so close, if only you had pushed just a little bit more."

Nicholas said, "Relax Sissi, he did damn good for what even I was thinking. Great job, Herve."

Herve, however, was silent and when he began to drink from the thermos of ice-cold water, his heart calmed down, his mind eased as Amy's words came back to him, and more and more he realized she was right, this machine this voice in his computer, it was right. Sissi didn't give a shit. She doesn't have a lot of guts anyway, but Nicholas was the one in whom Herve had the most considerable trust. He was always the one there most to support him even if he went off the rails from time to time.

Both Herve and Jeremy headed to the showers to rinse off before putting their pedals to the metal with their robotics and their viruses. As Herve let the cold water wash over him, he felt like a hot skillet that, after being exercised on a scorching flame, was being quenched as he felt his muscles feel grateful as he sighed. To Jeremy, his shower was just as refreshing; he had made it this far, he had put Herve in his place physically, and now it was the last two portions in twenty-five minutes. As both headed to their rooms, Both truly wanted to rest for the rest of the day, but this competition had pulled out all the stops.

As Jim met with the other teachers in the lounge, he said, "Well of all of us, it seems that Meyer, Jean-Pierre, and Barrow here came out on top. There are still two events left. Who wants to reassess their bets?"

None raised a hand, and Jim said, "Alright, the next event starts in twenty-three minutes. See you all at the gym."

John meanwhile headed up to Jean-Pierre's office and entered, "You wanted to see me, Jean?"

Jean-Pierre turned from his window, "Ah, John, yes. I was going to say; I have seen your implementation of passive energy during the race. I'm looking at the numbers coming in, and from those fifteen minutes alone, we generated an entire day's worth of energy from your pressure-plate initiative. How did you do it? How did you know it would work?"

John sat across from Jean-Pierre, "Hands-on experience, Jean. I devised this method about ten years ago and graduated it for use in this degree after using the staff at Amber and Reese as my control group. From their data, which sixty percent on any given shift is sitting, and from that is figured, if we could turn that energy into productive current, we could save on energy, and in time the system proved itself to be beneficial. I linked the pressure plates into their seats disguising them as low-output seat-warmers in winter, and in spring, when they weren't active, I placed them on passive collective current. Therefore, you see what you saw today. Combine this principle with the student collective, and you have eighty percent if not ninety percent of your students fully generating passive power throughout every lecture hall in Kadic."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Excellent, John. Very good indeed, and it is because of this principle that you proposed, and I have now seen with my own eyes that I would like to integrate permanently into our powered system. We've had it on a test run, and it appears to be working just fine."

"If you wish for true productivity of power, Jean-Pierre link this to your student's beds. As I said disguise it as a small warmer, but the pressure-plate principle, especially as they sleep will generate power very much to spare so you have passive and active power passive through beds and chairs and active through more regular use of weight equipment in physical education classes. Combine this with your school's location, and if you were to have small sections of solar paneling on the roof you could go effectively off-grid. Additionally, if you used the bed-warmer element, you could largely negate your costs on heating for your buildings except gather common rooms."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Very good; we will test your theory, John. We will have these apparatuses applies in all the beds but will only tell the students when we are more certain of results. But I have faith in what you have shown me; you have not proven yourself false yet."

John checked his watch, "If you'll excuse me, Jean-Pierre, I have some business to attend to."

"Of course, but before you go, I'd like to place an order of these shipments for the beds if we can."

John nodded and said, "Call Amber and Reese and tell them you'd like horizontal adaptors numbering however many you need, and they will be here in I predict three days. We made a surplus so those who wanted to work night shift but couldn't make it home could sleep on our beds, and they could still genuinely contribute to the company even if asleep."

Jean-Pierre nodded and said, "Thank you for your help."

"Of course. I'll see you later this evening."

John got up, and he headed out to the infirmary to see Yolanda. As he came to her door, he knocked, and she said, "Come in."

John opened and saw Yolanda sitting at her desk. She got up and went over and kissed him.

He gently pulled her away, "Maria is back with us. I'm sorry, I should not have let it get this far."

Yolanda's smile gently faded, "I see. I understand, she was your first woman I understand that." She sat back down, "Still, it was good while it lasted, huh?"

" I'd be a fool to deny it, Yolanda. I didn't know the extent to which Amy went to work on her, and I didn't—I didn't think she stood as good a chance as she does now. I-"

Yolanda came up to him and put her fingers on his mouth, "Ssh, there's no need to go into an existential crisis. You didn't know if you didn't know how in the nation did you expect any of us to know? Johnny, it's alright. I am just as surprised as you are.

John nodded, "I hope you can understand that I do feel it is not right we carry on this way, especially now she is here. And I have already told her the extent of our intimacy."

"So, what? Tou narced on yourself? Did your years with Ernestine teach you nothing?"

"They taught me enough," his voice went more profound, and his eyes showed actual danger. Yolanda backed up, "They taught me when to endure and when to cut losses and simply say goodbye."

Yolanda sat back down, "I'm sorry, John. I know what she did to you, and no one should have to do that to anyone, especially a child."

John regained his composure, "No matter. It's done with now. It's truly in the past." He took a breath, "I'm sorry, Yolanda. It's just not something I like talking about. Anyway, I believe in being honest with Maria, Yolanda. She's done a lot for me and this project, and it's not right that I play with her feelings in this regard, so yes, I narced on myself I told her everything."

Yolanda chuckled, "Your honesty is what is going to kill you. It truly will be. But I respect you that you told me this and as I said, don't hold yourself too close to that flame, you had no way of knowing, neither did I. But that's okay, she's here now, and that's what matters."

John leaned against the counter, "Why do I feel you don't exactly advocate for honestly? I don't mean to dismiss what you said, but why are you not a fan of honesty?"

"Because honesty gets a lot of people killed or in my case it got a friend of mine sent to the bottom of the river. Just saying."

"Fair enough. How's Icarus coming along?"

"Good. Everything's lined up, and asset teams have been sent. We'll know the outcome in forty-five minutes."

John nodded, "Outstanding. Are you going to watch the robotics display in the gym?"

"No need. This kind of thing is so common-place to me, it's not even a surprise anymore." She reclined slightly in her seat.

"Suit yourself," John said and turned to go.

"Johnathan," Yolanda said, and he stopped, "It is a wonderful thing that Maria has returned to us in this regard, and tonight we will give thanks for it."

John turned and smiled, giving a gentle bow, "Thank you, Yolanda."

John left the office and headed towards the gym, patching into his implant, he said, "Amy, how far along are the assets?"

"_They will be at the destination in t-minus 14 seconds. Enjoy the show." _

John entered the gym and sat at the judges' table alongside Suzanne and Jean-Pierre. The students were beginning to pile in eagerly. John saw Milly and Tamia set up for shooting for the school paper.

John looked at Suzanne and asked, "Who usually wins these little aspects?"

"Jeremy has usually defeats Herve, but since their last go-around a few months ago, Herve has been making upgrades which I have overseen. And so hopefully, we will have far more of an entertaining match."

"I see, and what determines this competition?" John asked.

"A blend of factors from maneuverability to controller reception to signal strength and importantly, the goals met at the end of the game. But this is not the usual; this is only increased in scale because Materhorne's representative, Phillipe Moliere, will be in attendance, offering the winner an all-expense paid scholarship to join the academy."

"Interesting. So what, was the whole track ordeal just fluff?"

"That was nothing more than two hot-headed boys blowing off steam; I figured if we are going to have this much of a to-do about a contest, why not allow the whole student body to enjoy and raise the stakes?"

John thought, "Keep thinking this was all your idea; you insufferable windbag."

At that moment, a very well-dressed middle-aged man came through the door dressed in an elegant, darkened silver suit with a black button-up shirt and maroon tie. He had his grey hair combed back and an expertly trimmed beard. His shoes were magnificent in shine so much so one could see one's reflection in them.

Suzanne and Jean-Pierre stood up as did John albeit slower, and Suzanne said, "Mons. Phillipe, it is so very good to see you today."

Phillipe shook Jean-Pierre's hand while John thought, "Okay, pretty-boy, let's get this show on the road, you know why you're here."

Phillipe shook John's hand, and even John felt his presence to be a glorying over him, but he shook it off, this was just ceremony at this point. All four sat down, and now the gymnasium was genuinely beginning to fill up.

Amy's voice spoke gently in his head, "Asset Charlie has secured the location, and Asset Pink is going to survey the targets."

Jim came to the center of the gymnasium and spoke the rules, "As always there is no use allowed of physical force to subdue your opponent. Also, as a change, our esteemed friend Phillipe Moliere from Materhorne Academy for the Gifted to determine the skill of each of you and the victor's robotic skill and virus implementation will be given a full scholarship to Materhorne for the duration of tenth grade to finishing the twelfth year. So, now, let our competition begin!"

Jeremy unveiled Kiwi III, and it showed to be indeed an improvement over his former models. The legs were calibrated and streamlined into the harness to ensure a more uniformed element of motion. The chassis was made of equally lighter but also more durable material, which had cost Jeremy a pretty penny, and the CPU was fired up for maximum negation of interference.

Herve nodded and brought out his robot, which, when the covering left it, Jeremy's stomach sank. It was a beautiful machine made of enough weight but also seemed more than light enough for dexterity. Herve fired up his remote.

Jim's voice said, "Contestants, report to the center and shake hands."

Both did so, but Jeremy, for the first time out of reluctance, shook Herve's hand, and the contest was underway. Turn by turn, Jeremy was astounded. The sheer speed of Herve's machine was remarkable. The sphere that he had used was making extremely quick despite its size. As much as Jeremy tried to outmaneuver and outjump his competitor, the sphere alone proved too quick taking the ball with a power grip and throwing basket after basket. Jeremy was amazed more that even as he tried to do his best, Herve seemed very much on point.

"Not only does he seem to have a few bells and whistles," Jeremy thought as he feverishly worked his controller, "But they aren't for just for show!"

Herve, however, was amazed as this whole time, the light was red on his controller, and he was mimicking the use of his controls, but it was being controlled remotely by another force. The grace and speed and tenacity of this unit. He looked at the scoreboard: three to zero.

Jeremy maneuvered just right, and at that moment he scored a basket. He was panting because of the intensity of this while the school was abuzz with this spectacle. The roar of the crowd was palpable, and Jeremy became the tiniest bit flustered. Jeremy moved Kiwi III left then right, and then doubled back. Just barely missing the rolling ball of death, then powering up, increasing speed, and then jump landing the ball into the net — two to three.

Amy's voice came through John's implant into his head, _"Targets attained. En-route."_

Herve buckled down and saw his robot as he took back central control now the light had gone off, he moved it to the right then to the left and screamed for the ball grabbing it with the left hand of the machine and with a precision shot bounced the ball off the backboard and dunked the ball, now Jeremy's two to his four.

Jeremy not to be outdone had Kiwi III grab the ball on its second bounce through the net and with it, stormed serpentine fashion towards Herve's monstrosity. Jeremy then performed a hard right as Herve endeavored to cut him off just missing the automaton dog. Jeremy increased speed and jumped, dropping the ball just at the right second. Thinking fast, he had Kiwi jump again and snag the ball and head out toward Herve's machine. Breaking left, Herve went right with Jeremy performing a tail-whip and then darting down back towards Herve's basket. Herve gained on Jeremy's robot reasonably quickly but not quick enough, as the ball was shot clean into the hoop.

The school cheered as they saw this turn of events. Jeremy was getting calmer; he had studied enough of Herve's movements to make accurate predictions of what was going to happen. As the ball bounced off the court, Jim retrieved it and said, "Game ball!" A powerful throw upward, and now the ball began to descend rapidly.

Herve's controller flashed red, and to his shock a spring-loaded claw shot out from the left arm and grabbed the ball mid-air before sucking it back to it and speeding down towards Jeremy's goal. Jeremy did his best, so sudden was this new aspect that he pushed Kiwi III to its limit and fired off a jump command just as the ball was sent towards his goal. Jeremy's heart beat fast as did Herve's faster and faster; Jeremy's eyes grew wide as he tried to have Kiwi III snap up the ball, but to his despair, he saw it too late, the snap missed by a fraction of an inch.

The ball went on uninterrupted directly on course. The ball banged heavily against the backboard and dangled on the rim. Jeremy saw his chance and had Kiwi III maneuver and jump off of Herve's robot's chassis for the ball, snatching it and storming down the court. Herve began to panic, but to his surprise, his robot doubled down on Kiwi III speeding faster than he knew it could, still doing his best to keep up his charade, he saw a center-left button on the remote and was about to press it when his bracelet shocked him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see it, the text, "_Trust me." _

Herve's android stormed ahead and with deployable clamp, fired, snatching the ball on point and pulling with such a degree of torque, not only did the ball come to it but it was snatched out of what was already a very suitable grip on the ball from Kiwi III. Jeremy's sweat got in his left eye, and it burned, but he kept his right eye open. Barreling down after Herve's innovative creation, he tried to flank a jump to get the ball back, but too late, the ball was headed towards the goal. Jeremy thinking fast, activated the leap to jump off Herve's machine once again and grab the ball, but he acted too late. The ball smacked the back of the backboard once again, and this time fell through the net with a swoosh.

The resounding roar of the students was near deafening as if their team had gone to nationals. The buzzer sounded, and Jeremy ensured Kiwi III landed. There were no other ways to say it; he was genuinely amazed. The fact that Herve had made this element of robotics so advanced and in just a few short months? As much Jeremy wanted to say impressive, the situation and circumstances didn't allow it. Surprising didn't either—amazing was the only word that came to mind. Jeremy went up to Herve and extended his hand. Herve personally was just as amazed as Jeremy, but he gripped Jeremy's hand firmly and shook his hand. The class applauded this action as did Suzanne who rose to applaud Herve. Jean-Pierre rose and followed, so as did Johnathan, albeit a bit more reservedly.

As the applause began to settle slightly, Suzanne took the microphone from Jim, saying, "This show of brown and brain is not over yet! The last event is to commence in five minutes, a battle of custom-made malicious software against the application of anti-virus software. The winner of this event will be given scholarships to Materhorne." The students, still very much incensed by what they had just seen, gave a piercing cry of excitement that resounded through the gym.

John got up, and together with Suzanne, he began to bring out the four servers. As it was set up, John made the gentlest touch to his bracelet and then whispered, "We're ready. Launch the operation."

Amy's voice in his voice said, "_Operation initialization beginning." _

As John continued with the hookup of the server, Suzanne explained, "This test is meant to push the limits of both students' computer programing skills to the very limit. Both students have designed a virus program to infect the other's group of servers. The first to successfully diagnose the properties of the other's virus and launch an anti-virus protocol to clean their servers entirely in the quickest time is the winner."

Odd, Aelita, and Ulrich sat in the stands very much prepared for this real showdown. Aelita, however, was happy to see this event, especially. She and Jeremy had drummed up this new virus after his book went missing. Together she was confident they could very much secure not only the scholarship, but Jeremy could secure his place and his desire for this year to end hopefully on his terms. Internally her heart was jubilant and did all she could to keep from screaming his name at that moment.

The servers were now finished being set up, and John returned to his seat alongside Jean-Pierre. Activating his implant, he thought, "How's calibration going?"

Enrique's voice was heard inside his head, _"It's going as good as it can go, Captain. We have the preliminary data core which this Jeremy boy submitted; it's an intricate fucking code, man. Give me at least five minutes to see if I can handle it."_

"We don't have five minutes," Johnathan thought, "If you are having trouble, Ricky, go and use Amy's external resource drive. The access code is AS42932."

"_Got it, Thanks, Cap. Let's see here—good call. We'll have this cracked in four to maybe six minutes." _

Johnathan watched as the contest began. Jeremy was first as he lost the robot competition, and Herve was genuinely giving it his best to go on his own. And this code from Herve's eyes was shocking as his robot was to Jeremy. It was daunting and even to Herve a true masterpiece. He knew he was under a time-limit, but a unique quirk of this setup was that he could set the bar in terms of time. He worked from the outside line of code to the top to get an idea of just the size of the first virus. Jeremy meanwhile was relaxing as he took a look at Aelita, who was watching this with intent eyes.

"_Captain, we have an issue," _Enrique said into his implant, _This program is set on a polymorphic amalgamation form of data. It's data that at its core it shifts as soon as we breach a select wall of code. Mijo, whoever punched in this shit knew what the fuck they were doing."_

John focused on his connection and said, "Amy, we need your help. We're dealing with polymorphic amalgamations in the source code of the virus. Very few know how to do this. You want to know what I'm thinking?"

"_No need to guess, John. I know this signature form of data. It's an adaptation of Franz Hopper's model to build the XANA subroutine. There's only one student in Kadic who can match that itinerary. Aelita Stones. Third row, sixth from the right_."

John looked over and counted up and over and spotted her, "I knew it," he thought, "But I am glad you caught on. I told you this aspect was tricky."

"_It may be tricky, John, but it is not hopeless. I know how to deal with this of all people. If the behavior of the code extrapolated from the core date of the Lyoko unit is any indicator of what was done before—let's see." _

It was a tense five minutes, and then a high-pitched whirr came form Herve's computer. John's attention shot immediately to focus in on him.

Herve's eyes went wide and he yelled in a very high-pitched yell, "Yes! Oh Yes! I did it!"

John thought in communication, "Amy, did this kid just beat you in the calculation?"

There was silence a moment, and Amy said, "_I can't believe it; that kid did it. He actually did it, Johnny!" _

Jeremy above all was stunned. "How?"Jeremy thought, _"_How in the hell did he crack it? How?!"

Herve said, "My program is showing anti-virus is effective seventy-five percent is clean, eighty, eighty-five, ninety, Clean!"

Suzanne stood and checked Herve's computer; the data was not lying. She said, "Mr. Barrow, use the probe and scan his server section."

John got up, headed over to the server, and utilized a specialized plug-in to scan the server. The wait was agonizing as everyone, but especially Aelita looked on until John said, "Scans are complete. These servers are clean as whistles."

The resulting ripple of whispers and silent wows resounded throughout the gymnasium. Jim stopped the timer based on Herve's computer input, "The time to beat is six minutes sixty-four seconds."

Herve put in his virus into Jeremy's server, and soon the virus began to spread like wildfire. Jeremy worked on the code to crack it, and he had to admit this form of Malware was quite robust. As Jeremy worked within the time limit's closing window, he found Herve's virus had a very nice assortment of features, but the most damning was as he tried to enter a counter-code he found that data was under a self-corruption protocol that deteriorated after it had gotten to a select point within the server.

Working feverishly, Jeremy delved into seeing what the nature of this virus was, and to his surprise it was a very powerful rootkit. As he proceeded to carve into what he finally isolated as the virus' accelerant program, Jeremy worked diligently to at least slow the program if he couldn't stop it outright at present. Three minutes were down already, and he had to discontinue the significant aspect, which was the major problem, the self-modifying code, which continually modified throughout the virus's implementation. It should have been easier than what Jeremy thought it would be, but why wasn't it? He put in four other lines of code and once this was done, he implemented what he could of his anti-virus. It was to stop its spread as best he could hope for in this case while he focused on the root problem.

"This is a hell of a risk_," _Jeremy thought, _"_but without doubt, but if I can keep the infection where it is now and work around it while it's in quarantine, I can figure out its chief adaptive code components."

Jeremy couldn't shake this feeling though that for as much distraction seemed to be going on at once, there was an element of overall familiarity about it. To test this theory, he knew he had a sliver of time, but if it proved correct, he could nip this in the bud. Jeremy went into a sub-menu and entered two distinct lines of code and brought up two stored codes and he implemented them. This was taking a moment due to the effects of Herve's virus, but it was proving fruitful. Jeremy checked his time against the countdown. He was down to two minutes and thirty seconds. Jeremy knew that to boost the application of the codes would negate the small buffer he had put against the virus spread and if that was done the other two servers would be compromised, but his theory would be proved quicker, the major drawback was that to develop the anti-virus would be much slower. This was very much a situation between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Then it hit him, "_Why do I care so much about this?" _He felt immediately relieved at that moment. Materhorne was indeed the aspirate of many to go to, but for him, it was not so. It would be great to win this whole element, but really, he had to weigh the options. If Herve won, yes, he'd be insufferable for the better part of maybe a month; after that, he and the obnoxious Sissi's gang would be as lasting as breath on a mirror, gone in an instant; negated from his life for a good while if not permanently. Jeremy smiled and then continued with his plan; the long-term remedy far outweighed the temporary pain in the neck Herve would become. But if he was to lose, he was to lose with style.

He removed the barrier holding off the virus and boosted his program. If his theory was correct, it would show itself in roughly five seconds due to the speed boost. He saw the malware spread as viciously as cancer and component by component; he saw the server space grow red. Five, four, three. His theory proved correct as he saw a one-hundred percent match. "That little rat."Jeremy thought. He punched in the last two lines of code for his antivirus. It was about as slow as he predicted, but that was alright. He knew the heart of this virus. Jeremy chuckled to himself thinking, "Couldn't stand on your genius, so you piggyback on the coattails of others, how painfully pathetic."

The anti-virus was now at sixty-five percent, and Jeremy looked at the clock once more, not that it truly mattered. One minute and fifteen seconds left. Jeremy crossed his legs and waited. John saw this, and he smiled to himself as he utilized his implant.

"Hendricka, we have a detailed record of Jeremy and Herve's computers, correct?"He asked.

"_We have full aspects, both watching and downloading this session, yes. Why?"_

"We know Icarus's weakness. But just because we may know his weakness, it doesn't mean Amy doesn't see something different."

"_Understood. As Primary Field Commander, what do you propose we do?"_

"Just keep an eye open and stay vigilant." He turned off his implant and continued to watch.

At this moment, the anti-virus and as Jeremy pressed the final button, and the eradication of Herve's virus began just as the buzzer rang. Jeremy sat silent as he heard the mixed reaction of the students to his left. He didn't care. The virus was now eighty percent cleaned out of his servers. Jim watched his screen from behind him. Upon completion, Jim signaled Suzanne, and she nodded to John, who sent over to Jeremy's servers and plugged in his probe.

Fifteen seconds later, John said, "The system is cleaned."

Suzanne stood beside Herve just as Jim stood beside Jeremy as Suzanne said, "The victor and winner of the dedicated match of brawn and brains and winner of the Materhorne Scholarship is Herve Pichon!"

As the crowd cheered, John said through his implant, "Forward these results to Project Theta and have research teams one and two breakdown the play-by-play."

Enrique said, "_Affirmative, Captain. What now?"_

"Now, Enrique, we must have patience for a bit until this semester ends. Then we can move unencumbered and unfettered."

John's eyes shot to the left, and he smiled to himself, "Right on time." he thought as he saw Alexi and Chanel Pichon.

Herve also saw this as he saw his parents applauding, which caused him to beam brighter Jeremy also saw this and was smiling too for different reasons.

Jean-Pierre took the microphone and said, "Thank you so much, children, for your time and your attendance. This event concludes the sporting events for this year. You are all dismissed to attend to your last hour classes."

With a mixture of resounding elation and regret at going to their last class, the students went on their way. And while Herve and Jeremy were spoken to by the rest of the judging panel, John stood silently and waited to talk with the boys as he received a text on his pager.

He checked it, "_Group celebration of Icarus Enrique's Penthouse—address to follow. _

_You bring order 332 from District 2 for food. _

_Ernestine successfully reallocated as per request. _

_Your responsibilities will be the night-shift at Site S-F until Kaori can vet someone suited to the position."_

John replied, "Orders received, requesting additional security detachment from _AR. _Passive/Active Energy Initiative at peak during robotics demonstration with a 0.2 percent difference during malware demonstration. Projections held steady at desired eighty percent output. Acceptable?

The response, "_More than adequate and acceptable. Clock out for the day. Thoughts on R's D? _

"I'll handle it."

"_Best to handle it now before the party. Maria will be waiting for you at Corsini Drop. Have til' eight. You have four hours."_

"Understood, send her with the necessaries. Have Enrique go to Seville."

John nudged Jim, "Gotta' head out, Jim. Can you cover for me?"

Jim nodded, "Sure bud. See you soon, okay?"

John patted Jim on the shoulder, "You're a good man, Jim."

John headed out and once in his car headed with all honest speed towards his destination. Four hours, it wasn't near as bad as Moscow, but still, it was a touch tight. But thankfully, he knew this would be more suited to the job. In about fifteen minutes, he reached the location, and John hated the smell, but it was part of the territory. Entering the smaller building on the farthest end of the pier, he saw Maria.

She tossed him a bundle with a smile, "Change those Gucci shoes, handsome. Boots are to your left. The sooner this is done, the better."

He got into the boots and put his shoes near the door, "Got her?"

Maria pulled out Ernestine's body, her temple marked by a bloodied hole.

John looked, "Not a bad shot, but still."

He put on a butcher's apron from the bundle, rubber gloves, and a hairnet. He lifted Ernestine's body and laid her on the slab, "Come on, let's feed the fish the tripe they deserve and get to the party. I'm starving after watching the battle of the nerds. Besides I don't want to smell like pussy all night."

Maria smirked, "How classy. As for that last request, mine smells better than this shit."

"Don't I know it, now come on."


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: Read, review, and enjoy as always. Thank you to my faithful readers._

_Pagliacci-11_

Chapter 13

Morning dawned, and the fresh air was invigorating to John as he got up to shower. He was reflecting on all that had happened the night before. The party was a real and healthy bash. There was plenty of good food, the most excellent craft beer, and the whole team minus their obnoxious plus one had the night of fulfillment that everyone secretly longed for since the mission was laid out. All this time, all this preparation and now it was falling indeed into place after the necessary pieces were finally aligned. Food, communications, transit lines, the army that was now on standby with Maria back in command, oh, how excellent it all was as John reflected. Fourteen years and it had finally was paying off.

John turned on the shower, and as he was soothed in hot water, he entered his production menu in his bracelet and chose weapon production. As he looked over the projects available, he reflected on the various strengths of the team. Maria was the heavy panzer as she always was. He, therefore, chose the GLRX-44 Siege Turret to be produced with high-velocity and armor-piercing rounds. He went further and investigated her prosthetics and as he observed the options available. It was a fantastic degree of variation with John only be familiar with a few changes from the last mission, and those models in hindsight were egregiously outdated. He, therefore, resolved to outfit the rest of the team as was his job as acting field commander.

Turning on his implant, he asked, "Amy, what are the options for outfitting the team?"

"_You have outfitted Maria, now let's focus on Enrique, Yolanda, Emilio, and Frankie. How would you describe their strengths based on our work together?" _Amy replied.

John replied as he scrubbed, "Enrique is our master of recon. If anything, we should have him supported by our visual support drones to help him properly and more accurately assess his targets from his rifle. The drone also would hold to shore up his defense if he was compromised giving him a chance to run. I would also opt to give him the DVRX Rifle with full-metal jackets and incendiary rounds."

"_The DVRX has been outdated by our armory for a bit, and he has adapted very well with the Trovalo, so what augmentations would you make to that weapon?"_

"Give him the best scope you can with thermal sights. Calibrate the scope to single out the rest of the team by coloring them gold with green. Streaks, so there is no confusion. Also, make it official that he has access for nighttime city-overflight to scope out our area ahead of us. If you still have the Trisec Goggles, we when he marks them we can isolate the threats before they know what is going on."

"_Very capable of doing with the Trisec's new model. Now onward to Yolanda." _

"Yes, our field medic. Your plant-based healing serum is a marvel in itself. Is there a way we can turn it into a mist?"

"_It would lose its potency; as a result, I wouldn't recommend it."_

"Okay well is there a way we can have several ampules of the mixture on our person for wounds? That way, we have some good temporary fixes while Yolanda has her support drone that is more of our riot variety. Also, what is her skill with firearms since our last evaluation?"

"_Her proficiency shows very much in the realms of the shotgun, and we have numerous ammunition types for it. Her secondary weapon is that of 357 Magnum. And we have aspects which can dampen the recoil to make her more effective."_

"Well, let's give her two grenades, one fragmentation the other of the flash-bang, and we'll see how she does."

"_Excellent. Now, Frankie."_

"Frankie's a good old boy, and so, therefore, I'd like to work in realm with his recent promotion to cyber-crimes division. Give him the Archon Decryption. Give him a refurbished .45 ACP with both armor-piercing and standard shot, double-barreled sawn-off shotgun twelve gauge, and let him keep his combat knife with two fragmentation grenades."

"_Finally, Emilio, as he's coming up to replace Ernestine."_

"He doesn't like lethality from his hand so much. So, we'll accommodate him. Keep him largely out of the field, and in support, he will coordinate and activate our soldier units when needed, and he'll be kept safe at Delta Prime. However, ensure his paramedics' license is up to snuff if we need to get one of our own out of a sticky situation and need to blend in."

"_Understood. Maria is awake." _

"Thank you," John said as he turned off the water and dried off with his towel.

Heading out into his bedroom, he went to his closet and picked out a red polo shirt and tan slacks to go with his Rockports. He spritzed some of his favorite cologne in the air and walked through it. He heard the gentle whirr of Maria's legs nearby, and he turned.

She came in smiling and handed him a glass of orange juice, "How did you sleep?"

"Better now that I've gotten some aspects out of the way," he said, returning her smile and taking the glass, "How's Icarus?"

"None the wiser, we'll wait until the proper time. Let him bask in his glory for now. There's no need to implement stage two just yet."

"You know how these things work, Maria, better be prepared for Amy to initiate it whenever possible. She may be willing to let us get some R&R, but apart from that, always be ready."

"She never stops, does she?" Maria asked as she sat down in a nearby chair.

"She knows our limits, and she knows how best to utilize us. Does she stop? Well—I suppose it's a matter of perspective. She is not so removed from us; she doesn't care, and she is not so amongst us that she feels every bullet wound as it were."

"Armchair General like you wouldn't believe," Maria said after making some alterations to her hair with a pair of scissors.

" Maria, sweetheart, you have your legs and arms back."

"Ah, so it would seem. But what is the purpose of that gesture? To get me back into the fray, to anchor you. Give the bitch credit; she's as cunning as the Angel Shark."

John went up to her and said, "Ssh, she'll hear you."

Maria sighed, "I know. You have to understand; I'm not against any of what she gives us or has done for many people in the past or us. But her methods, I'm not always for."

"I understand that. But I once stepped into the arena of asking Amy what her views were, and she didn't scream at me, she was as patient as she could be as she let me defend my stances and—well suffice to say Amy knows very well what she's doing. It may seem unorthodox, but there is very much method to her madness."

"I know what you mean. Don't forget; I was there with you when we first started years and years go. I was there with you when we saw the capitol burn and when we saw Emiris and Derek go up in flames, trust me, I know what you mean. I know her methods, and it's not that it's bad, but it can easily make slaves of out those too willing to serve."

"Yes, and she knows that. It's how she hooked Ernestine, and then when I came along a bit later, Amy schooled me in her doctrines and well suffice it to say it's been a very long road. How many times have we performed this operation now?"

Maria reflected, "I'd say it's been what our sixteenth implementation and as with any movement we grow from every iteration."

"Exactly. I feel this for once may be the very best chance we have." John said as he began to massage Maria's shoulders.

"Yes, well, by now, we know what we're doing. It took a few regimes, a few enlightenment proposals, and yet, all in all, I feel this is the best chance we have. If anything it can't be near as bad as the third rotation with Phillipe Dugard."

John chuckled a bit, "Oh, poor Phillipe. Such a sweet guy, but he was paranoia incarnate."

"You're telling me. Man, I remember he nearly busted your ass for screwing that diplomat Circovska. Remember that?"

"What else was I supposed to do? In my defense, I'd tutored her as much as I could. We'd covered Marx and his observations; we had covered Lenin and his rise alongside the differences between Lenin and Stalin. She was just who she was, a rich girl who wanted the desire quenched of adventure and a bit of the forbidden. Besides it was when I was younger. It wasn't allowed, sure. But it helped us iron out phase four before he tried to have me arrested on the grounds of indecency."

"Not _tried, _he did. The only reason you say tried is because Enrique boosted your ass from the prison cell."

John laughed, and his pager went off, "Oh it's Jim. I'll see you tonight. I'm going to celebrate Jean-Pierre's birthday with the faculty, and as you know, I love a good party."

"Always one for the parties," Maria said, "where are you guys going?"

"We're headed to Jean-Pierre's favorite place a _Chez Vince's, _and from what I hear from Jim, it's not at all bad."

"Jim likes you, doesn't he?"

"He's friendly enough. He's a nice guy. I think him being from the States gives him a bit of a release to speak with a fellow countryman."

Maria nodded, "Enjoy yourself and bring me back some dessert if you can."

"Of course." John kissed her gently on the cheek and headed out.

As he got into his car, John turned on the radio to his playlist. Heading to Kadic, he was followed by a white car. John saw this and did not deviate from his path. He was more than aware of select people and their interest in him, but he would not lead them to the others. Taking his phone he was seemingly dialing a number when the light turned green, and as he pressed on, a large flatbed came screaming down the street. Just as he had planned, it bought him enough time to turn down a side-street and merge onto the neighboring road. Turning on his switch underneath his steering wheel, John parked and headed up the street. Putting on his sunglasses, he looked around and spotted his target, a maroon Saab. Heading up to it, John pressed his fob and the car chirped. He opened the door and got in.

Patching into his implant, he said, "Amy, we have a situation. I'm being tailed again."

"_I see them. Don't worry by your initiative; you're two steps ahead, pull out and head to Site C and park on the east side. Enrique is heading over to pick up your car. There's nothing hot in your car is there?"_

"Nothing they can actively trace us by and tell Enrique to use the phantom fob to deactivate the safety measure."

"_Done. If they get to it before him, it's not a loss at all. I can easily make you another one." _

John started the car and east towards his destination. He was ahead, but he knew it wasn't for long this city was not nearly the size he'd desire to hid discreetly, but he had to work with what he had available. Site C was a little ways off, but at least John knew he'd be safe there. As he crossed a bridge, he heard a gentle sullen boom, and he knew that the car was gone.

"_John, I advise you go to Site C and stay there at least until tomorrow," _Amy's voice said in his head, _"I've checked Chez Vince several agents are waiting for you there. Would you like me to send excuses to Jim for you?"_

"Please do," John said, "I need to figure out just how they are so diligently onto me. I dread to think we have a rat amongst us, but in light of how this is shaking out, I don't know what else to think."

John continued to drive as Akiko observed the smoldering wreck of the car. Six agents were dead, and the fire-crews were doing their best to contain the blast. She thought, "You can play this game as long as you'd like John; you can't run from us forever." Akiko took a few photos and got back into her car and drove off.

As she continued to drive, she called Anthea on the blue burner phone, "You were right, he was headed to Jean-Pierre's birthday luncheon with the faculty, but unfortunately I think he spotted our grab team; a bit too soon."

Anthea sighed, "I know. I've been watching Jim Morales's phone for a while, and he received a text from Johnathan. Our teams are too obvious; we must go back to the boots-on-the-ground element if we ever want him caught off guard. He's turned Kadic into an impromptu fortress, even if we attained access, I know he'd be gone before we even got to his usual haunts. He's set up the system that way."

"Then why not, play to that element of security he thinks he has an undermine it?" Akiko asked.

"Go on," Anthea replied.

"Kadic has been turned into his fortress, and in many ways, he appears to be a rising star on that campus. Amber and Reese provide that security system for the school. Why not go into their databases and get a breach key so our plants can show up, in essence, nullifying what he has promised from Amber and Reese. Therefore, he and Amber and Reese can be brought under more direct scrutiny. While this is brought under scrutiny, he is alienated from the realm of Kadic's trust and from this we can grab him without hassle."

There was silence a moment, and Anthea said, "Very good. We'll implement this immediately, but more than that have our grab team be the chink in the armor so we can round him up and bring him in."

Akiko replied, "Alright, so that's what we'll do. Whoever's protecting him will show themselves around that time, I'm very much assured of that. If he is this vital they won't spare any expense to keep him from us."

"Agreed. Give it a day or two let him calm down so he won't be as suspicious when it goes down."

"No, we have to be more patient than that. Give it a full two-weeks," Akiko replied, "Keep those bloodthirsty jackals Jacobs and Heinz off this as much as we can. I know they want to bring him in, but if we give off our signals too soon, I very much feel he'll go to ground, and then we'll never find him."

"Alright. We'll hold off for now, and in the meantime, we'll work on a breach key to his system. Both of your children go to schools impacted by the Amber and Reese security system; we'll focus on both, but we'll prioritize one over the other. If my predictions of such a man are correct based on the case history of what is known of him, then it shouldn't be too hard. If we breach one system, I'm sure the other outlet shares the same Achilles heel."

"Okay, that's our plan—now what would you have me do in the meantime?"

"Be as you have been ever since your daughter stumbled onto Lyoko a couple of years ago. As far as your daughter knows, you may have some secret aspects, but they are not worthy of letting her father know. Keep that trust, return to your civilian life and you'll be fine. I'll contact on this phone when you are needed to act. In the meantime, enjoy your time with your family and relish the summer when autumn comes, we'll have more work to do."

"Speaking of which, you've known of what has happened with your daughter for some time. Why do you not contact her?"

"I have my reasons. But in time, I know the necessity will arise when I must talk to her, but such time is not now."

"I respect that, Anthea. But do not wait till' you are too late. Sometimes, the pacing is not what we think it is. The more distance you make with timing, the vaster the metaphorical distance between you two. Do not wait. Your husband made himself known, and now it is your time."

There was silence, and then Anthea said, "I'll be in touch with you soon."

As Johnathan reached his destination, he was slightly on edge. This time was different than all other times before. He couldn't shake the feeling he had; it just was. As he entered the building, he found a very nice, almost lounge kind of atmosphere. It was quiet, far removed from the hustle of the inner city near Kadic.

He sighed as he sat down on the couch. How was this happening? This was the question at the forefront of John's mind. Someone on the inside was giving the overseers his location, and he couldn't abide that. He knew where most of them were. Deep in his heart, John wanted to purge them thoroughly with the operation's troops. It would cause a more considerable panic, but he also knew such a plant was hot-headed at best, utterly detrimental at worst. He knew if you didn't cauterize the wound, two more heads of this snake would show up.

Johnathan patched into his implant, "Amy, do you remember what we did during the fifth implementation of our operations? When we had a similar situation to what we are facing?"

"_Which one we had several?" _Amy's voice responded.

"Telvax." He replied.

"_Oh, yes. We routed the resistance in little under a month, isolated the primary cell, and eradicated them soon after. Is that what you propose we do now?"_

"Not quite. I propose a few slight modifications to our original plan. We know what they want, they _think _they know what they want, but they _don't _know what they want. What if we gave them our answer by giving them what they want?"

"_I understand. What are you thinking, exactly?"_

John said, "Send me one of your emissaries, and I'll explain on paper here at the hideout to which you will get the consensus of the crew as if they agree or disagree. I'll send you a list of primary questions however, that way we can be fully prepared when this whole show goes down."

"_Very good. Do you need anything at present?"_

"No. I'm looking through this place, and it's very well-stocked, and I found the emergency cache that you installed. I greatly appreciate that. We have our other players in place, and we have our reserves ready. Until we have determined its safe to return to the field for me, I'll use this as headquarters utilizing the southern boat. Can you manage that?"

"_Of course. The boat is already aligned and precisely calibrated to my systems. All that need be done is you have your phone active so that I can pilot it from its console into the dock."_

"Excellent. Well, I'll be drawing up my plan in the meantime. John out."

In the meantime, Henrdicka and Yolanda were sitting having lunch together in the teacher's lounge. They had heard on their scanner about the car detonating in the southern ward of the city. Both knew that the situation surrounding their operations was escalating quickly. Yolanda ate her strawberry yogurt, silently contemplating all that was going on. But she knew, just as Hendricka knew, the coverup for this incident would be far easier to contain than the station, and both knew it was deliberately designed as such.

Hendricka said, "They're getting too close to him. We both know that. But the real question is how."

"That's also been on my mind," Yolanda said, "well we both know about Ernestine, she was always a bit of a question."

"Yeah, but Londie, she's been dead for a bit now."

"So what?" Yolanda asked, "Some machinations even after death have ripple effects. Look at Grigori Rasputin for a classic example."

"True. But we must figure this out. I will give a week for whatever crap Ernestine may have leaked to hit us. But after that, we have a situation, and it means we'll have to do some internal cleaning."

"I do not blame you, Hendricka; I don't. But as with anything, remember patience. It took us how long to localize Lyoko's individual components? Four to five years. Sometimes the effects of select people are not always obvious."

"I understand that. But how long has it been since we started kicking off our more significant phases? Not long at all. Just as we kicked off primary initiatives just as we have done in the past. Now there seem to be vigilant watchers, far more so than on our previous go-arounds."

Yolanda had a drink of coffee, "Yes, but that is expected the variables while aligned are parallel. Just as there are rules we can depend on, there are exceptions to those rules. We know relatively what we're in for. The simulations and actuality have up to this point correlated quite nicely. To have a spike of this nature is not uncommon. Remember, we, too have adapted. Nearly every aspect and system we have learned from, and thus we are largely better off for it."

"True. But I have a fear that this time, we may be holding our feet a bit too close to the fire."

Yolanda put her cup down, "Only nine percent of our worst fears every come true in our lives. I hear what you say. But we have to bear in mind just how far we have come. How far we have made it from mere revolutionaries in our homes to see our ideals piece to piece come into fruition."

Hendricka sighed, "You're right, you're right. Of our group, you've always been the most realistic. Okay, so we know he's gone to ground, what now?"

" As of late, our primary objective has been that of Clean Air followed by Project Icarus. John has served his purpose as far as both are concerned. He's not needed in the field again just yet. Icarus is no different than Poliyakov ten years ago. John set up the groundwork, and soon what we needed to happen, happened. What needs to be known is the method is different this go around because well frankly we've learned from our weaknesses in the past."

Hendricka reclined in her chair slightly, "Alright, so what next? Like what are our orders, if any?"

"That's just it until we hear back from Emilio and Kaori, we have nothing to do except sit and wait. Each of them is pulling their weight in their way. But we shouldn't be in a rush. You of all people should know that our operations take time, and like me, even though the children nearly drove me insane, I was sitting here waiting for you all to transfer over here finally." Yolanda said, getting up to dump the remains of her lunch in the trash.

At that moment, most of the faculty checked back into the system, coming from the north door. Yolanda saw this and said, "I hope they enjoyed Jean-Pierre's party. I know they probably had a good bash as is custom." She got up and headed to the door, "Don't worry, Hendricka, we'll be alright. I'll see you tonight."

Yolanda headed out and back toward the infirmary. As she went, she thought extensively about what was going on. These strikes or attempted grabs on John were too ham-handed to be an inside job, there were some persistent people, sure but nothing that genuinely constituted a legitimate internal leak, at least not yet. She could contact John through his pager or his implant, but something else was bugging her. Yolanda knew there was an attempted breach of Amber and Reese's central warehouse in the city just a little while ago. The primary agents who had tried to infiltrate had been eliminated, but Yolanda knew there was something else going on, perhaps something she had overlooked.

Patching into her pager she sent the message, "Maria, review the security feeds of the attempted infiltration of the warehouse a couple of days ago. I think someone is missing from this picture who could be our overall fly in the ointment."

A moment later, her pager gave a gentle ping, and Yolanda looked at it, "_Reviewing it now. We will have an analysis ready in two hours." _

Yolanda then patched into her implant, "Amy, have Acquisition C ready and placed on standby. I have a feeling our neighbors will be making their move, and it won't be on John, but it will be on one of us. Activate the tracking sub-routine on all of us, and as soon as something bottoms out, I'll send the signal to send the team."

"_Of course. Okay, the team is on standby, and I'm activating C through H just as a precaution."_

"Thank you," Yolanda said as she came back to the infirmary and sat back in her chair.

Meanwhile, the Lyoko team were meeting in the school's open yard. As they sat at the table, Ulrich was perusing through his bracelet's capabilities, and as he did so, Jeremy was reading about Herve's victory over him in the robot championship. Odd saw Jeremy reading, and rather than ask the question that was on his mind, he opted instead to drink his orange juice. Aelita was silent as she was waiting for some degree of conversation to be struck up.

It was a silent few minutes, then Odd asked, "Hey, Einstein, why aren't you ask torn as well I'd kinda's thought you'd be? You know with Herve beating you, that never usually turns out good for you, why are you so relaxed now?"

Jeremy put the paper down and said, "Well, I had to look at long-term benefits as opposed to short-term solutions. Sure,

Herve won, but you know what? It's a good thing. It gives him a little something to talk about for a bit, and besides he'll be out of our hair going to Materhorne. I'm not at all concerned about it. True, there are victors and losers, but one must consider what victory is for one's self. To me, Herve being gone is a longer victory and a bit sweeter than others. "

Aelita listened a moment and then said, "Or your measure of victory is to let your enemy get what he desires and be removed from you and thusly out of your hair."

Jeremy looked at her, "No, no. That's not what it is."

"Then what would you term it, Jeremy?" she asked with a smile, "I mean your rival, and only one who could have held a candle to you on their own was Herve. Sure he's not quite XANA, but you know, we can't all be delightfully mad supercomputer AIs. Uniquely, I can foresee you becoming a good deal bored with the humdrum everyday existence of a student. For was it not you who initiated this challenge in the first place?"

"It is true; I did so. However, you have to bear in mind I didn't set up Materhorne, and that I think is what Herve has wanted for a while. Besides, he won't cut it up there anyway."

Odd put his cup down, "What do you mean, Einstein?"

"Herve's virus, the one he gave to me in the competition it was a blend of our old programming virus mixed with some very distinct new variables. He can't stand on his own. He steals work from others and claims them in his own in the hopes of not getting caught."

Ulrich smirked, "Welcome to academia survival course 101."

"Yeah, it may fly here, but in the prestigious ivy-league Herve wants to be part of, well suffice to say his scheming won't cut it."

Aelita asked, "Is that what you know or more accurately is its wishful thinking?"

Ulrich replied, "It sounds more like rationalization on Einstein's part mixed with wishful thinking."

Jeremy smiled, "Very well. Call it what you want, but Herve won't last a month there if this is his standard norm."

Jeremy folded the paper and put in in the wastepaper bin nearby. Just a moment later, Aelita's phone rang. It was Yumi.

"_Hey, Aelita_," Yumi said, _"I need for you and Jeremy to do a cross-check on a few news sources in regards to one story."_

Aelita was silent a moment and said, "What are we checking out?"

"_It's a news story that happened about three days ago. It involves one of Kadic's new teachers, Mr. John Barrow. I'm down here with William, and he showed me the cutting from the paper. It's the Michon Chronicle. I want to see if you can find this in their databases and then crosscheck the event with other newspapers in the area."_

Aelita wrote this down, "What time do you need this information?" she asked.

"_Hopefully sometime before midnight. My mother's going out tonight, and I'm wondering if you all can stop by? Dad and Hiroki will be out to the theater. We should be good for a couple of hours."_

"Sure, I see no reason as to why we can't do that. What movie are Hiroki and your dad going to see?"

"_It's a new film coming out called Soldier of Light. It's a big action film that dad personally wants to see, and he figured why not take Hiroki for a true action film, you know?"_

"I can imagine. So yeah, we'll sort this stuff out, and we'll be there around what time do you think?"

"_It'd be preferable if it were around seven-thirty. Dad and Hiroki will be gone around that time, and we'd have about two hours to catch up."_

"Okay. I'll let Jeremy know, and we'll get working on it. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"_Not at the moment, thank you, though. I'll see you tonight."_

"Oh, where is your mother going? Usually, your family is very much the nuclear family, you know?"

"_She went to the philharmonic to see Handel tonight. She's excited to see the performance tonight. Daddy has never been much one for classical music, that's why he's going with Hiroki to the movies instead." _

"Okay, well, see you tonight, ciao."

Aelita hung up the phone, and she looked at Jeremy, "Jeremy, you know that teacher you are liking Mr. Barrow?"

"Oh, John? Yeah, what about him?" Jeremy asked.

"Yumi asked us to do a cross-check of references concerning a vehicular attack which it seems Mr. Barrow was that the epicenter of. It's from the _Michon Chronicle."_

Jeremy thought a moment, "Come to think of it, I think I remember John taking it easier than usual a couple of days ago, but it usually takes a good deal longer than that for broken ribs to repair."

"How did you know he had broken ribs?" Odd asked, "It could have been a torn muscle or something."

"I remember him telling Jim. Maybe if we can go talk to him, we can ask him what happened."

Ulrich was hesitant, "I don't know Einstein, Don't you think he'd get a touch suspicious if we went nosing around?"

"I honestly don't think so. If my past interactions are any guide, wherever Jim is, we can find John, come on."

The team got up, and they went around the campus looking for Jim. Unsurprisingly, they found him overseeing the sixth-graders running the track.

Jeremy was the first to advance, "Excuse me, Jim, have you seen John around? I wanted to ask him something."

"_Mr. Barrow,"_ Jim emphasized, "is not here today. He's part-time until next semester starts after the summer break. Perhaps I can help you with your question, Belpois?"

"Uh, no. It's okay, Jim. Do you know when we will be seeing him again?" Jeremy asked.

"He's a part-timer, Belpois. He'll be here and there periodically until full-term begins next year as I've said. What's so important you talk to him?"

"Nothing, Jim." Ulrich said, "Jeremy just liked him for conversation; that's all."

Jim smiled, "I'd not at all deny the man is very good for conversation. But don't worry. He'll be back soon. Run along now, unless you'd like to run alongside the sixth-graders for some extra-credit."

The four smiled, backing up, "Ah, no that's okay, Jim. Thank you though." Aelita said.

The group retreated, Ulrich said, "Well so much for the direct approach. And knowing how buddy-buddy those two are, Jim won't tell us jack. The best thing to do is correlate the news articles and see what we can pick up."

Jeremy sighed, "You're probably right. Come on; it shouldn't take too long. Aelita, did Yumi say why she wanted this done?"

Aelita shrugged, "Don't know. I'll call her."

Aelita dialed, and Yumi picked up, "Hello?"

"Hey, Yumi, what is the reason you want us to check out this correlation?"

"William told me it was the only paper that reported on the blast, the _Michon Chronicle_ that is. Look into who else may have covered it because it wasn't in any other major news outlets for that day, at least to my research. I was hoping you and Jeremy could run a fine-tooth comb through it and see if this is correct."

"Gotcha'. Okay, thanks, we'll see you tonight."

As Aelita told the group why the search was happening, Ulrich's red flags started to go up, "Wait, Princess, you mean to tell me, a blast happens in the greater part of the city, and only one outlet seems to cover it?"

Aelita nodded, "Apparently, that's correct."

Ulrich stopped walking, "You and Jeremy get hunting on that article. Odd, come with me, we're going to do some digging on Mr. Barrow."

Odd hesitated, "Where do we start?"

"First place to start, the faculty files. Come on."

Odd followed Ulrich while Aelita and Jeremy headed up to Jeremy's room to begin the cross-reference. Several minutes later, Jeremy and Aelita were on Jeremy's private laptop. Jeremy knew that since it was John who suggested Amber and Reese's security elements to avoid using the computer from the school. As they performed a cross-check, Odd and Ulrich were headed towards Nicole's desk. To their fortune she was gone from her desk. Ulrich made Odd stand lookout while he looked into Jean-Pierre's office. He checked the door.

"Damn it," he thought, "The doors for Delmas' office have been switched over to the keycard come on, Odd, let's go back to—"

"Uh, Ulrich," Odd said with a pinch of fear.

Ulrich turned around and saw two security guards along with Jean-Pierre standing just in front of Odd. Internally he thought, "Oh, fuck."

Meanwhile, Jeremey and Aelita were doing the cross-search. Jeremy said, "Yumi's right. I'm not finding any reporting on a car explosion before the attack. Nothing. You know how this city is, it's not too big, and something like that would be in the papers. Let's see here with the _Michon Chronicle_. The article is here; it's the only one. _Local Teacher Injured in Vehicular Blast._ But how is that? This rag is the bottom of the barrel when we know we have major outlets that would cover this."

Aelita was silent as she listened. Then she said, "Can you think why media would go into a major blackout with one outlet only reporting?"

Jeremy put his head in his hand and said, "No, no, I cannot. Let' see here. The journalist who reported on this was Marcell Dauterive. Let's do a check on him."

Jeremy continued to type and search various databases. A few moments later, his eye went wide, and he said, "Oh no."

"Jeremy, what is it?" Aelita asked, and she gasped as she looked closer.

Across the screen, it read, "Marcell Dauterive, City Philanthropist and Veteran Reporter of _Michon Chronicle _passes from heart-attack."

"He's dead?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy pointed to the date of the article, "June 10th Morning Edition" He looked at Aelita, "He died the night of the attack on John, one whole day before the station attack. There are no other articles on John's attack except for this journalist." He got up and walked to the middle of the room.

It was silent for a full minute, then two, then finally five. Jeremy's fist tightened as he realized what was going on. It all made sense. John's absences, his readiness for a solution in the wake of the major attack on the station, how he had this proposal seemingly out of nowhere, but in just as seemingly out of the blue, the entire school is turned into a prison of sorts. But why?

To go through all this for the sake of children's safety. He wasn't buying it for a minute. John was the one spearheading the security initiative. He was the one who gave the damn presentation and oversaw its implementation. It was all him. He arrived out of nowhere in a time of pure calm and peace, and now with chaos in the minds of many, John had championed a security system to help secure everyone on the grounds. Students, teachers, even the local maintenance people had to code in and code out. But _Why? _

Jeremy sighed, and his voice was just heard by Aelita to break, "It's John, Aelita gently. I don't want to say this, let alone think it—I feel he's the common link."

AN: Please Read and Review. Thank you for your time and support.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Please read, review, and enjoy this recent chapter. Thank you for your continued support. **_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 14

"What were you doing trying to get into my office?"

The question made Ulrich's heart sink to the pit of his stomach. He knew that there was no suitable answer to Jean-Pierre's question.

"Well, you see, sir, "Odd and I were looking for you to discuss something, and we came here, and we noticed that your office was empty, so we'd figured to come back later."

"A likely story." Jean-Pierre said his arms crossed, "You knew my office was locked, and you wanted to come back later to try and break into it. You only stopped because you realized too late that my office had been integrated into the school security system. Don't think you can lie to me, Ulrich. If there is one thing I cannot abide, it is a liar."

Ulrich was silent for a moment, now for the first time with Jean-Pierre, truly carefully selecting his words. There was silence for two whole minutes before Jean-Pierre spoke again.

"I know you were here for reasons that were for all intents and purposes unwarranted. How do I know? Because I'm able to pull your tracking data. We know everywhere you are on our campus. You both were with Jeremy and Miss Stones in the lower courtyard before you found your way up here. You went first to Nicole's desk and then to my office door. These actions took five minutes, at which point I decided that enough was enough."

Jean-Pierre got up, and he looked out his window, "You see, Ulrich, you and your friends have been able to dance around many aspects of our school policies until now. Unsanctioned periods of leave without faculty authorization, numerous times, as it turns out. And now that we have a true aspect of student oversight, you and your friends are no longer with an excuse as to why you do as you do." He turned back around to face them, "You are both under house-arrest until you decide to be forthright about why you were five minutes here, unattended. I honestly wished to think the best of the four of you, but in light of what your activities have shown me, and your lack of will to be forthright has left me no other choice."

Ulrich stood up and said, "Now, hold on, that's not fair, you have no reason to do this! You are acting like you know something we don't. Well unless, you have proof of what we have done wrong, you have no reason to treat us this way."

A strong and firm grip placed itself on Ulrich's shoulders. It was one of the guards behind him and Odd, and as much as he wanted to stand, Ulrich in time returned quickly to his seat.

Jean-Pierre stood before Ulrich and Odd and said, "On the contrary, I have all that I need."

He pressed a button on his bracelet, and soon, the conversation could be heard.

"_Wait, Princess, you mean to tell me, a blast happens in the greater part of the city, and only one outlet seems to cover it?"_

"_Apparently, that's correct." _

"_You and Jeremy get hunting on that article. Odd, come with me, we're going to do some digging on Mr. Barrow." _

"_Where do we start?" _

"_First place to start, the faculty files. Come on."_

Odd and Ulrich sweated a cold sweat; it would be a lie to say that their hearts were not pounding in their chest.

"Now tell me," Jean-Pierre asked, "Why are you so anxious to see Mr. Barrow's personnel file?"

Ulrich was about to take refuge in a lie, but he realized anything he said would be negated likely by his mouth, so he decided to be honest, "Mr. Delmas, I want to know why our teacher was in a seeming terrorist attack a few days ago and no media outlet outside of one area dared to report it. The _Michon Chronicle _covered the attack. This was a full day before the attack on the TV station. Why is that only one aspect of media covers this event? Why, especially with Mr. Barrow at the epicenter, is he not more of a focus? He is a victim, after all."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Thank you for your honesty, Ulrich." He sat down, "Mr. Barrow is a plant management overseer for Amber and Reese.This vocation is his second job to ensure he has enough to live here and enough to eat. Teachers don't get as much as you think. The reason there was no media coverage was that his team of lawyers from his employer did their best to minimize this event. This was done so that the corporate battle his company would not be further fueled if it found one of their chief quality-of-life overseers was injured in a bombing. If this had happened, the bidding for select stocks on the European market would have been lost. As a result, our name was kept out of most aspects of involvement, as was Amber and Reese. This was done to protect not only his reputation but the strength of his parent company's stakes in the markets."

Odd then spoke, "But, Mr. Delmas, you don't find it strange that in the wake of the attack on the station, he had a solution this quick? A solution that monitors everyone, which I'm sure includes yourself?"

Jean-Pierres signaled for one of the guards at the door to pour him some coffee, "I would be surprised had I not requested he follow through with the initiative he had proposed to me that morning. We had observed all of you in your little group, as well as others going off-campus somewhere, and he reminded me very much of what it was like to be a teen." The guard gave him his cup of coffee, "Many of your group likely still think that our authority has no regard. However, this system has already been in place and production for the last four years under Amber and Reese. This is the first time it has been integrated into public community systems. We are very much a Guinea pig in this regard. But, if all works out, various aspects of this project will carry over into more productive realms of progress for everyone, not just this area and certainly not just this school."

Ulrich was given pause, "So you oversaw all of this implementation into Kadic?"

"Of course, Ulrich. I have always wanted you, children, to be safe. Johnathan is a primary mind at Amber and Reese; he spent much of his life in the information and technology development sector. This is very much as it is because it has been implemented before. Every portion he has given us is a portion that had undergone extensive testing and verification before we even dared this venture to protect you children here at Kadic."

Ulrich nodded, "Sir, I'm sorry. I had heard about this attack on Mr. Barrow and the fact no one covered it got me to thinking the worst. I'm sorry. I may have jumped the gun."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Of course. However, that still doesn't' change what you tried to do. Four days of detention for the two of you. It seems a far sight better than indefinite house-arrest."

Ulrich nodded, "I understand. May we leave?"

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Your first detention is today at 4:30 with Ms. Hertz."

Odd and Ulrich got up and turned to leave. The two guards who stood in front of the door stepped to the side, and the door buzzed and swung gently open. Ulrich and Odd went down the hall, and as Odd was about to speak, Ulrich motioned for him to be quiet. Odd nodded, and they headed towards Jeremy's room.

Ulrich knocked on Jeremy's door, which Aelita opened, "Oh, hello. What—"

Ulrich put his finger to his lips, and he gestured to go inside.

As he entered, Jeremy was about to talk when Ulrich gave him the same gesture.

Taking a piece of paper and a pencil, he wrote, "_Jeremy, they're listening to every word we say. These bracelets are more than gizmos; they are tracking devices and recorders rolled in one." _

Jeremy and Aelita saw this, and Jeremy adjusted his glasses. Aelita was about to speak when Jeremy raised his hand to signal her to be quiet.

He wrote underneath Ulrich's writing, "_How much do they know?" _

Ulrich wrote in response, "_Don't know. Probably everything if they went through things with a fine-toothed comb. Also, Barrow's "event" was covered to protect a trade merger or something like that from another company; that's why only one outlet reported on it." _

Jeremy wrote down his portion, "_The journalist is dead. A heart-attack before the station attack. If Delmas is bugging us, I wonder if there is a way we can use this to Achilles Heel at least a portion of this system." _

Aelita saw this and raised her hand. Jeremy gave the pencil, "_There is a way. Just don't use them if you don't have to. We have Student IDs. These bracelets are the epitome of luxury use. If we don't use them and stash them in say a sweater to stop audible transmissions, we can go about our daily lives without fear of being bugged."_

The group smiled and nodded, but Odd thought of something and wrote, "_Wait, what about check-in and check-out for aspects of the infirmary?"_

Aelita took the pencil, "_Simple. Use your use of the infirmary very wisely. Your card checks you in and out of class as a general principle. These cards, when scanned by a reader, check you into an area and out of one. So long as you stay on course, and no one is suspicious, you can move around with a fair degree of autonomy. You need only to get to your location and have someone like Yolanda scan you in as having received you, and you are free otherwise. It's not exactly the most striking aspect, but it's what we can do, considering the circumstances._

The group was excited, and as Odd and Ulrich went to their rooms to stash their bracelets, Jeremy muffles his in a cardigan, wrapping it thoroughly and putting it in his bottom drawer as Aelita went to her room to stash hers. Once this was done, the group met again in Jeremy's room.

"Well," Odd said, "that situation worked itself out nicely. We still aren't as free as we used to be, but I'd settle for this over having the thought of Jean-Pierre listening to everything we say."

Ulrich nodded, "I second that. Oh, Aelita, text Yumi. I know she's on this system, the same as we are. Tell her to do what we've done and tell her why."

"Got it," Aelita said with a smile as she began to text.

"So, now what?" Ulrich asked, "Jean-Pierre knows we'll be off their monitoring grid and their audio-feed."

Jeremy nodded, "Yes, but if Aelita's theory holds true, the student IDs should pass for what we need to do."

Aelita then said, "Jeremy, Yumi said, they may have IDs as we do, but those IDs are mandatory for getting into and out of class, but they cannot go into the halls or room to room without the bracelets."

Jeremy sat down in his chair, "Hmm. What else did Jean-Pierre say?"

Odd said, "He said Kadic for better or worse was guinea-pig. What if Yumi's school is the graduated form of experimentation while we're more like what the Alpha test?"

Jeremy nodded, "That's right. We're the control group with the original formula. Guys, as much as it's going to suck, I don't think Aelita's plan will work as we think."

Aelita sat down on Jeremy's bed, "Why do you say that?"

"Because if we are correct and Yumi's school is the second batch, then they realize already the weakness in their system. I'd wager almost anything that what they see in Yumi's school, they will implement here. A kind of ideological testing tug-of-war."

"So, how are we going to talk to each other in private?" Odd asked.

"We're not meant to." Jeremy said, "No one is, I don't think. But then, I do think Aelita's theory may have more weight than at first glance. Remember how it was said the bracelets were privileges?"

Ulrich nodded, "Well yeah, but the bells and whistles are privileges, not so much the manacles themselves."

"True," Aelita said, "But without a doubt, someone like this Barrow has a plan, especially if it required let us say, confiscation?"

"You're overthinking in terms of hope," Odd said, "If the bells and whistles are the appeals, it's simple for a provider to yank the bells and whistles and have it as a manacle to check in and check out, and keep track of you. Sure, we have some cool applications to use, but I guarantee, I _guarantee _that every app can be stripped from the thing, and it still serves its purpose to monitor and listen in."

The group sat down, now in silence. The system was extremely well-designed with a lot of effort put in mind. But why? Why Kadic? Was it indeed just another testing ground, how was this truly happening that it was shaping into more and more a prison of Orwellian fashion.

Ulrich snapped his fingers, "We can make a log-book. A shared notebook or set for all of us. That way we can have our usual conversations, yes, the day to day will be a bit challenging but think about it, don't bring up select aspects and we have nothing to worry about. It's a heck of a lot easier than using code. And besides, our book can switch owners in terms of who keeps it. In that way, we can keep our communications a secret."

Jeremy nodded and said, "It's a pretty good solution if I must say so myself."

At that moment, an announcement was heard over the PA, "Miss. Aelita Stones, please report to the Principle's office as soon as possible."

Aelita and the group froze, "Wha-what could he want with me?" Aelita asked.

For the first time, the Lyoko group was stunned. So to figure this out, they headed along with her towards Delmas' office. Aelita had an immense weight in the pit of her stomach as the doors opened, and she entered.

"Ah, Miss. Stones," Jean-Pierre said, "Your mother is here to take you out to lunch."

Aelita's eyes went wise, "M-my mother?"

She shifted her eyes to the left, and she saw Anthea standing before her. For the first time, Aelita was dumbstruck beyond any form of forming even distinct syllables.

Anthea looked at Jean-Pierre and asked, "Where do I sign her out?"

Jean-Pierre looked at Aelita's expression and said, "Excuse me, Ms. Schaffer, she seems out of sorts to see you."

"It's understandable. Her father, Frederick, and I separated when she was quite young. It's not uncommon for this to be her reaction. As far as she's known, I'm just a woman from the occasional letter or picture."

Aelita snapped back to reality. She had spent the last few seconds her memory flashing back of Anthea and Franz in momentary glimpses. Not wanting to make this awkward, Aelita said, "She's right, little better than a few photos here and there. But that doesn't change who she is."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "I—understand. Ms. Schaffer, so long as you have Aelita back in an hour and fifteen minutes, we can authorize the release."

Aelita nodded, "Excuse me, Mr. Delmas. I have to go to my room to get something I'll be right back."

Jean-Pierre excused Aelita, and she headed towards her room.

As the rest of the group walked with her, they began to bombard Aelita with all manner of questions. Jeremy asked who her mother was, but she didn't answer. Odd and Ulrich asked if she was sure she could be trusted, and Aelita stopped in the middle of the hall.

"Look, I can't answer your questions right now. I have far too many of my own. The short answer is yes; I believe her to be my mother; I can even remember how she smells. I know she is who she is, or at least I think I do. I have my questions to ask, so please, leave me alone."

Jeremy began to walk forward, but Aelita moved just out of his reach, "Please, Jeremy, let me figure this out on my terms."

They followed her to her room, and she put her bracelet back on. Aelita looked at them, "At least if this goes too far, I can send out a distress signal. I figured out how to do that. If the manacle is a manacle, at least it keeps you safe."

In time they returned to the office, and Anthea went with Aelita after signing the proper forms, and Aelita's bracelet was checked out of the system. Jean-Pierre was apprehensive about this, and so he said, "Ms. Schaffer, I'm aware that Aelita is your daughter. However, forgive me, we barely know you, and we have yet to see your former husband. I want to insist that you have lunch with her we can send out for and accommodate you in one of our more private rooms. I'm sorry, but until we can be sure of who you are, we cannot allow you to leave with one of our students."

Anthea sighed, "Mons. Delmas, I do not have time for this pointless blather. What you request is here in this folder."

She took a folder out of her grip on the floor and handed it to him, "Her medical records, date of birth, birth certificate, vaccinations, and your officiation letter allowing her into Kadic as well as a photocopy of the application itself from two years ago signed by myself and her father allowing her to attend your school as part of the foreign exchange program."

Jean-Pierre took the files and ran a root search through the Kadic database. Everything checked out, with the exception of her medical records that were now updated. He nodded. "My apologies, Ms. Schaffer. You may go."

The group watched Aelita, but she had no appearance of being troubled or resisting. This was a part of her puzzle that Jeremy knew had to be resolved at some point. And now the puzzle piece had fallen right into the team's lap.

As they headed outside, Aelita saw Anthea's car a white porche. As she got in the back seat, Anthea got in the front, and Anthea began to drive. The ride was silent for a moment, and Aelita turned on the tracking application silently with a flick of her finger. It was still quiet as they headed into the mid-portion of the city, and they pulled up at a small Romanian bistro.

As both got out, Aelita had a whole plethora of questions surging around in her mind, but most of all she had one burning question. She sat down with Anthea while she ordered a lemonade, and Anthea ordered water.

There was silence for a moment between them, and Aelita said, "What took you so long to rear your head?"

Anthea replied, "Various projects, and I knew you were in safe hands with Jeremy and the others, so if figured, why rush our meeting if it wasn't exactly pertinent to you if I came back or not?"

Aelita looked at her, "Not exactly pertinent? How dare you say that to me? Do you realize how long I searched for you and daddy?"

Anthea, "Depends. Did you start looking immediately after you came to earth? Not really. It wasn't until you found the hermitage that you began to seek in earnest. But yes, not negating how important that is to you, I know it took some time."

"This," Aelita said with some disgust, "This is your version of motherhood? Cold, callous, uncaring, or unfeeling?"

"You're not a child. You are twenty-three years old if you were allowed to be with us as was originally intended. You have seen much of this world and learned much. In many ways, mentally, you are still a child and don't think I don't know that. However, it doesn't change who you are and what you are. I found the time now to talk to you and to speak with you on actually important things."

"Found the time? Oh, how diplomatic of you. Daddy tried, he talked to me as much as he could. Hell, he was the one, not you who sacrificed himself to destroy XANA, or did your observation look over that too?"

"I understand your father's sacrifice, and in no way do I dismiss it. But you need to understand something, XANA and Lyoko are both projects designed to stop a larger aspect of danger present to everyone. It was called Project Carthage."

"I know of it, mother. In the downtime in-between battles, I deciphered daddy's clues. I know what it was, and I know what he did to try and stop it. He _hid _me from the world so I wouldn't be destroyed and ruined as he feared all of us would be. He saved you and me, so don't you dare treat all of this as if we haven't stopped something altogether evil. Because guess what? I didn't see you of all people helping with XANA How hilarious is it that to this world of inane dullards and your supposed great minds, a great autonomous machine capable of killing humanity countless times over was thwarted by school children?"

Anthea sipped her water and said, "It's surprising, and of merit, I more than give you that. You worked hard as did the others to clean up the shit that none wanted. Someone had to do it, and I'm not surprised your team pulled it off and a convenient way of doing it as well as an afterschool and sometimes during school activity."

"Yes, my team, my _family _more accurately, that unlike you, have been there for me ever since Jeremy activated the switch. You weren't there; not even daddy was there, and now what? Some greater danger is here? The greater danger showed up a few days ago, in the form of an attack on our central broadcasting station, but it turns out this problem—despite how we so desperately wished to change it, who the fuck would believe a bunch of kids? "

Aelita took a drink of her lemonade and said, "Furthermore, we faced countless aspects and forms of death, and from what you tell me, mother, you have been watching in the wings over all of us since seemingly when Lyoko went live again. So, the real question is this. What do you want? What can you possibly contribute to what we have done? Nothing. The work is done."

Anthea was calm, despite Aelita's words, she was reticent. She took a drink of her water and said, "Consider this, that just as much as you helped the world you also damaged it. The threat is not so much events from XANA anymore; it's the aspect that you and all those close to you; your family and friends, you no longer have the control that you once did. People have seen, others have watched, and now, that power that you once had in the supercomputer is no longer yours. In returning to the past, you did more than strengthen XANA you alerted another force, a force that is beyond that program, and you and your precious Jeremy's brain. They are in the shadows and also among your school. They are watching and above all, waiting to act."

Aelita folded her arms, "People like Johnathan Barrow. Yes, we're aware of what he's doing or rather what he's trying to do. But every stronghold has one weakness, and we'll soon figure it out what John's is. He's turned Kadic into a prison. Jeremy didn't want to suspect him, but the proof was very much in the eating."

"And what is John's purpose? What's he up to?" Anthea asked.

Aelita hesitated and said, "I—don't know. We're trying to figure that out."

"Could it not be that he's using the system to hamstring you and your family so you cannot leave as readily as you could in the past? Therefore, rather than single you out, he affects the entire school to hide his methods negating use of the supercomputer's return to the past function?"

Aelita's eyes went wide, "How, how did you—"

"Sometimes you have to remember this principle as stated best by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

"And so—this is his solution to keep up away from the computer, but why is return to the past so crucial?"

"It should be obvious from your own team's use of it. It can reset everything, even secure life, for a fallen comrade as you have already made clear to your family. However, the tool itself is not inherently evil, much a pistol or a knife. It only is evil when used by the hand of evil people."

"And so you brought me here to warn me?"

"Yes. You won't find Johnathan Barrow in most searches of most databases because he is truly and officially deceased. When your father and I knew him, he and one other were focused on a sister program. It was designed for the safe keeping of people at large. I'm seeing its implementation now in this city, but also preliminary steps were followed on the outside as well."

"How can you be sure he's dead? He could have survived in some way. If it is capable for daddy to seal me away into a pocket of cyberspace, is it not possible for there to be other ways to fake a death?"

"I thought so until I had an order given to exhume his grave. It's him in there. We did tissue verification as well as DNA; it is him in that coffin. I don't know who this man is, but he looks so very alike to the original that I don't know yet, how to approach him."

"Who's we, mother?"

"I've been working on various government extension programs for the last few years. It was how I was able to keep tabs on you and your family as you call them. We can't seem to catch John Barrow because he's always several steps ahead. A fellow friend who is also helping has tried but to no success. So, we, meaning the extensions available to me in the form of government assets."

"Well, good luck finding him, I don't think he's going to be back til' fall semester after the summer break. He's part-time anyway. I was able to figure that much out because unlike a lot of the faculty he is one of the few who lives off-campus."

"Very good. Thank you."

"Let me ask you though, a serious question—with all this surveillance that you clearly have had on me since my arrival and since you had somehow eyes in our aspects against XANA why didn't you act sooner if you knew that on some capacity I was in danger?"

"Out of the fact that I realized that Jeremy wouldn't let any harm come to you. You're that precious to him. Also, because you were overall the only one with the ability to shut down active towers on Lyoko, the team would ensure your survival; Jeremy simply steered them to ensure this was the case."

"Ah, I see. So, you didn't give a shit. You watched, you waited, you let others, including daddy do your work for you and now you're here. How wonderful."

Anthea's eyes sharpened, "Look, you brat. Your father made it out. He made deals to get out. I was taken because I was believed to have a degree of understanding of how Lyoko and XANA worked. It wasn't me who left you in the lurch; it was your father who left me and subsequently you in the lurch. He made it out; he brokered deals for people to overlook a few things. I knew a hell of a lot more than you give me credit for when it comes to traversing Lyoko. Unknown to your Jeremy, I had several back doors installed, which through your return to the past on several occasions, were nullified as the system had gone back to a hard-reset. I had one installed the day Franz gave himself up to save you; I know what he did. But I didn't shed a tear because rather than make way for both of us to get out, he only took care of himself because he was the brain that mattered. He didn't tell you that, did he? Left for eight months while I was left to deal with his mess again."

Aelita's hand tensed, "You're lying. Daddy would never be so heartless and cold as what you would portray," Aelita said, her voice breaking, "He came to me just as soon as he could," Her eyes began to burn through her tears, "He sacrificed himself to save us all from XANA, and you tell me, he's a heartless monster? Fuck you, and fuck your eyes in the sky, and fuck you, you, miserable piece of living shit!" She got up, "I'm done with this. I know the way home. I've walked it a million times. "

Aelita turned and headed down the street, and Anthea was silent as she watched her go. She wasn't going to go after her. Anthea realized what Franz had hidden. He'd painted himself accordingly to what Lyoko's files had been stored to preserve Aelita's memory. She knew he planned to not deviate from it. She got up patiently and headed to her car. She drove in the opposite direction headed to the factory where she had help Franz set up the super-computer. Anthea parked in front of the building and headed to the lift.

As Aelita ran in pain and anger and hurt towards, Kadic she saw a sapphire coupe pull up. It was Yolanda. " Miss. Stones, Are you okay?"

Aelita turned and said, "Oh, thank you, Miss. Yolanda, Can I get a ride back to Kadic?"

Yolanda stopped and opened the car door, and Aelita got in back.

"Aelita, is everything okay?" Yolonda said, turning to face her.

"I've had better days, Miss Yolanda, I've had much better."

Yolanda nodded, "Tell me about it as we head back, maybe I can be of some help."

Yolanda put her car in drive and drove off towards Kadic while the lift slowly descended toward the super-computer. The door opened, and Anthea stepped out only for her eyes to widen in shock. The room was disassembled. Every primary component except for the chair had been removed. It was all gone. Feeling her stomach drop, she headed down to the server room and checked; the server was completely taken out. Not even a nut or bolt remained.

"What, but how? How could—" she thought out loud.

"We removed it," a voice said from behind her. She turned and saw Johnathan standing behind her.

He smoked a cigarette, "We took out the primary components after the studio massacre—there is nothing left to know."

Anthea's eyes went wide, and quick as lightning, she pulled out her gun, "Who are you, who the fuck are you?!"

Johnathan stood before her, "What is the matter, Anthea? Do you not like ghosts? What scares you more? That Franz's greatest betrayal has returned from the grave? Or that Aelita will eclipse you in time?"

Anthea's hand shook very gently, "You're dead. I saw John Barrow's damned body in that coffin; you are dead! You are not Johnathan Barrow so who the hell are you?" her voice shook from fear.

John took the last drag on his cigarette, exhaled, and threw the butt into the hole that once contained the terminal, "Whatever helps you sleep at night. You can deny Hell all you like. It doesn't mean its any less real." He took a pack of Tic-Tacs out of his pocket and offered, "They're you're favorite, orange."

Anthea pulled back the hammer on her gun and kept it steadily aimed at John's heart, "Who are you? Last time I ask."

John looked at her and poured six tacs into his hand and put them in his mouth, "You already know the answer, sweetheart. You know who I am and why I'm here."

"Look, I don't have time for your bullshit, what happened to the terminal?" Anthea said.

"I told you, it's gone. It has been disassembled and repurposed. That's all you need to know."

Anthea shifted her pistol and fired two shots, one through John's leg, the other through his shoulder. John fell back and yelled in pain.

"Now, that I have your attention, tell me, where you—"

She stopped. A sudden horrible searing pain was in her lungs and another in her gut. Looking down she saw them, two mirror-like blades, dripping with her blood. The steadily-increasing burning pain overcame her, and she began to cough. But to her horror, John was slowly rising, and before her eyes, the very flesh of his body was sealing shut the holes where her bullets were. He was standing as if he had not been shot at all.

John coughed before saying, "So very rude, Anthea, not how I remember you being—at least on the surface."

He signaled to the person behind him, and the blades were speedily retracted from her. She began to fall backward but caught herself just barely by fully stretching her arms and legs. She saw Maria come alongside John and her eyes went even wider, "No," she rasped, fighting to keep down the blood, "It's not possible. How…"

"Just like you said, Anthea," John said, "Forces far beyond the machine and two brilliant minds." He flicked his foot, and a blade came out of his heel, and John descended with the edge upon Anthea in the stomach twice before he and Maria saw her fall deep into the well where the server had been. John sheathed the blade with a turn of his heel.

"Come on, we have the next phase to worry about," John said, patting Maria on the shoulder, "Also, when we're at the top, sever the cables. We don't want anyone coming up again too soon."

As their footsteps could be heard retreating with the gentle hum of the lift soon after, Anthea mustered her strength, coughing violently. She moved first one leg then another, her left arm and her right, Coughing violently once more she said, "Oh, fuck, this hurts!" Spidering her way portion by portion up the server hole, her bloody hand finally grasped the edge, and she pulled herself up with an agonized scream. Through the pain and tears in her eyes, she could barely make out something, a small orange tic-tack

"This is going to be a hell of a risk," she thought, "Still better to risk than to not at all." Her bloodloss was mounting fast. Feverish, dizzy, almost fainting, she grasped the orange candy and sucked on it. The feeling was incredible, unbelievable relief swept over Anthea as she felt suddenly warmed as if basking in the sun and then her pain was gone. Feeling a bit of her strength return, she reached into her pocket and took out her phone.

"Akiko, it's me. Don't talk, listen. Use your phone and call Talbot and Finch. I need their help at Designation B." She felt her stomach; To her amazement, it was completely healed, as were her lungs. "Tell them that Pheonix is a go, repeat, tell them that Phoenix is a go."

Anthea closed her phone and rolled over on her back as she heard the slam of the lift in front of her. "Son of a bitch," she thought, "they've made a real step up in terms of medicine—I'll give them that"


	15. Chapter 15

_**Thank you again to all my loyal readers; thank you for your time and dedication. As always, read, review, and above all, enjoy.**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 15

John and Maria opened the door to the hideaway and sat down inside. John sighed as he looked over where his prior wounds were. They had healed perfectly. Luckily both shots were through-and-through. His muscles had healed perfectly, and his flesh had sewn itself shut. He looked as if he hadn't even been scratched.

John patted his leg and said, "Damn, the compression tablets work wonders, and I'm glad she made it more flavored, the old plant strain tasted just awful."

Maria nodded, "You weren't going to give the bitch the tacs were you?"

"I honestly would have, Marie." John said, "I am a man of my word, you know that."

"But why would you do that? She was pointing her pistol at you, and she was ready to shoot, and you offer her candy."

"It is because I knew she would vehemently reject such a gesture because well, it wasn't to quote Emilio, "Situationally Appropriate." John said with a smile, "Man, I could go with some ramen, this work does build up an appetite."

Maria chuckled, "Out or In?"

"In, of course. I'm hungry, but I'm no dope." John said.

"I'll put the kettle on," Maria said getting up.

John reclined in the lazy boy in which he was seated and said, "You know Amy's view on this little fly in the ointment, don't you?"

Maria put the kettle on the burner and said, "Yeah, I know. But she's far overcome that, we both know it."

"True—but I kinda' gotta' think that every time it's not as easy as we'd like to think."

"Well, you could look at it like our immune system. With a sickness, our body adapts, so it's not as bad next time."

"Talking to Londie again?" John said with a laugh.

"Hey, she's a smart girl. She's learned a hell of a lot since this all began, with help from you, I might add."

"I helped her as best I could. Ah, but we've all had our struggles. You with your wreck, me with the displacement until I could find the right functions, Enrique with drugs and Emilio with the death of his mother. We all have a reason for being here and doing this stuff. But what makes it all the better is that when these things come to fruition, it's a very good thing."

"And what about Kaori," Maria asked, "What's her part in this?"

"Kaori is old money and always has been. Her family and select others have always been the technology moguls. They've been on a steady upgrade since she was grafted in several years ago. Amy needed a significant element by which to produce our offense weapons, and Kaori's family did the very best. Thanks to her we have kept a substantial degree ahead of the police forces the come across. From the old firecracker of the Kremlin to some of our more pristine cousins."

"I'm aware of that. Since we came here, Kaori set up shop before Amy took the helm. That was a good few years ago—the better part of two decades, and now well, it's turning out for the best. Of course, as with anything we have some exceptions. Emilio and his love of blades when we have military hardware that is perfect for what we do. By the way," Maria went over to a crate and opened it, "this came for you today. Your trusted sidearm and primary weapon."

John went over and inspected the crate, "Ah, excellent. The scalpel and the hammer, just what we needed." He examined the military hardware and then checked the ammunition, "Good ammunition too. I'll be keeping these here until the operation launches into full-swing."

John put the weapons in a safe place, one in the magazine fold of his lazy boy and the other in the dropdown over his bed. He then said, "Do you know why Kaori's family's better technologies never went to the police?"

Maria went to the fridge to get a soda saying, "She's told me. It was because she doesn't trust the graft of the police never to rear its ugly head. Besides, if she ever gave the tech to the cops, it'd give them a form of degree of equal footing. But we both know Kaori. She would never give you technology that she didn't already have an answer to."

John chuckled, "Ain't that the truth? By the way, Emilio is supposed to be coming up soon, any word from him?"

"Yeah, he just passed through the southern border. He should be here in the next few hours. Why?"

"Amy said he'd made some major changes to his kit, and I want to see what changes he made."

"In light of the last few years, it's not a surprise," Maria said as she took the kettle off the burner, "He's been doing a lot of jobs in London recently, and he had to adapt. I mean, I thought he had it pretty good but you know how it is with him, once he finds a major means of a loophole, you better be damned sure he'll exploit it."

"Yeah, that sounds like him. Well, I'll see him tonight; he's taking over Ernestine's old gig, and we've been doing some expedited renovations in our downtime."

Maria nodded, bringing him a ramen cup, "Let it sit for six minutes."

Meanwhile, the Lyoko team was gathered at Yumi's home. It was beautiful and quiet now that Hiroki was gone from the picture, albeit temporarily. The group, however, sat in silence. Aelita had told them of all that had transpired in the wake of meeting with her mother. Suffice it to say it was beyond impactful. Aelita was still in a bit of frustration over how it all went. She couldn't believe Anthea's cold and heartless attitude. She had utterly disregarded any sacrifice of Franz, and what's worse treated him as if he were the epitome of usury and manipulation incarnate. Aelita had expressed her thoughts to the rest of the group, and the only reaction was that of genuine surprise. But rather than ask questions that Aelita was not ready for, the group opted for silence between them.

"Is it possible?" Aelita said after a moment, "Is it truly possible that my father was not as forthright as he could have been when we met him, going up even into XANA's defeat?"

Jeremy wanted to speak, he wanted to reassure her, but he knew equally that Aelita's insight was more on the money than he cared to admit, it always was and, in this case, mainly it was not far off at all.

Instead, he let Ulrich take the lead, "Well, Aelita, let's look at it this way. We all have our bit of evil in us that we may want to keep secret from our loved ones. Remember when Patrick came? Well we saw Jeremy's own disdain there. You have it, princess, because guess what, it's kinda' the curse of being human in many ways. Is it possible your father lied? Of course. Did he, well we can't tell if all we have is your mother's word to go off of."

Aelita looked at him, "Direct, aren't you?"

Ulrich sighed as he shrugged, "Well, I've learned you grasp a lot of hard truths a lot quicker than even I would have thought. Such as when you first arrived observing the many wars of our world. it's a plain truth, and from that, I believe you can handle a bit more of these harsher truths because well—you have the capacity despite how Einstein likes to ease you into things."

Jeremy adjusted his glasses, "Yes, thank you, Ulrich."

Ulrich reclined more into the sofa, "No problem."

Aelita sat, deep in thought. "Sometimes, I do wonder why I came here." She thought deep in the recesses of her mind, "This place is so damned ugly, so filthy without order and everyone wanting to if not destroy, show up someone else." Snapping back to the present, she said, "So, what do we do now? My mother said there are elements beyond XANA that we had to fear. A system that I could understand was something that even as callous as she is, even my mother is afraid of it. So, what is there that matches that description?"

Jeremy thought, "I honestly can't place a lot of things with that aspect. But I researched Amber and Reese, and they have a lot of support especially from backers from all over Europe and Asia. Holland, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Russia, China, Malaysia, Australia, and portions of Japan. It's well connected, and it has a surprising amount of financial markets on a global scale. Subsequently those shares go into neighboring companies abroad. So, as with most companies, money talks and money only talks when products are viable for large-scale implementation."

Yumi nodded, "And so Kadic and my school, they're as you said, likely test subjects for a larger product. But for what?"

"My money is on some new green-energy initiative," Ulrich said, "At least that's what Jean-Pierre seemed to allude to. Because think about, it what else are they going to use us kids for?"

"All kinds of things potentially," Jeremy said, "I mean, if you want to think about it, anything can be done with the help of kids so long as it doesn't' endanger us."

Odd nodded, "Einstein's right, I mean, let's think about this logically, where else, apart from prisons are you going to find eager and willing test subjects?'

Yumi smirked, "I'm a bit dubious on the free and willing, but I take your point."

Odd took a drink of cherry cola, "No, no. Think about it. We are a free resource to use, and so long as we are appeased with a few gizmos as we see with the wristbands, we largely are kinda' willing. We're somewhat dumb that way."

Aelita sighed, "Why test it out on kids, Odd?"

"Devil's Advocate, Aelita." Odd said after a stretch, "What is to say that your mother or the woman claiming to be your mother is wrong in her assumption of implementation of the security measures? In that Mr. Barrow is, in fact, using it to keep us from the Super-Computer. Like let's look at our current get together here, right now. How was it attained?"

Aelita said, "Ulrich was able to lean on Sissi to give us a two-hour window to get us here."

"My point exactly. We have an avenue to get what we need to get or in this case, _where _we need to get. If we need to be overlooked for a period, we can do it. It just has with anything, a certain cost."

Aelita nodded, "How long do you think it will be until someone catches onto this?"

Odd sighed, "Realistically, not very long. I'd say it's not long at all until the manacles are put back onto us to ensure permanent tracking. So, my proposition is this; we make the most of this while this lasts."

Ulrich nodded, "Odd's right. I can only exploit Sissi so long before she too becomes mute in terms of her father's leg-pull. He begins buckling down on that so it will work less."

"What payment did you promise her this time?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich said, "I assure you it's mutually beneficial for now and for the foreseeable future."

" Oh, come on," Yumi said with a smile, "What is it? Another awful movie?"

Ulrich shrugged, "It's a form of long-term investment."

Jeremy chuckled, "First time for everything. Our Ulrich—the man of secrets."

"In the meantime, while we have this next hour, let's put our heads together and figure out how to move around this whole security system. As much as I may feel resigned to this, I hate feeling herded like sheep." Odd said.

Jeremy nodded, "We've established that getting out of the system is hard enough because we have to go through a check-out system and I know Sissi doesn't know the extent of the system to make it easier, or at least not yet. So, we have to figure out how to breach the system itself. If we can hack into it and make our own master key, from that, we can check-in and out and appear to have the proper authorization."

Aelita then said, "Let's consider something. Who has the authorization to let us check-in or out? If I know this John Barrow, the access is confined to his distinct log-in as well as Jean-Pierre. If we can breach the system, in my mind, likely no different than what you had to do to get me into Kadic, can we not just make a ghost imprint to use as our passcode?"

Yumi spoke, "It's a nice theory, Aelita. However, the problem is that if the control over who lets who in and out of a building is truly so localized, it would take no time at all for this Barrow character to patch your backdoor. The problem with a key belonging to two people is that they can generally be very sure of their actions with it. Even if it were for several students, you could only do so much before red flags are raised as to what's going on. Despite the simplicity of duplicating one or the other, or both, well—it's a huge gamble because face it, Delmas isn't senile, and he is not forgetful, and if this Barrow instituted this from the beginning, I highly doubt he is."

Ulrich then said, "Also, let's think about it. In all reality, this Barrow could just as easily be a lip-man. Meaning he's not truly in charge of the project and that someone else is. We can do a lot with computers, but I have a feeling this has all the potential in the world to come crashing down on our heads."

Aelita sighed, "No, he's something more. My mother said we wouldn't find him on any databases because he's dead. The real John Barrow she said is dead. This man is something else, however; apparently, he looks just like the man. How is that possible? Further she told me that he is trying to keep us separated from the return to the past."

Jeremy nodded, "I figured that somehow had to factor into it. I had a sneaking suspicion. I mean to make all these hoops to get outside of a perimeter of an area? A bit much. However, what else did she share about him?"

"That he was on a sister project while my father worked on the elements of Lyoko. That the very elements of that project were, in fact, being implemented at this very moment. She told me it was a system designed to keep people safe."

Yumi then said, "Keep people safe? That is extremely dangerous in the potential of what could be. You're right; if we are being used as guinea pigs, it's the element of a much larger goal. Unfortunately, I think honestly, I mean, I haven't met him, but this Barrow sounds like a silver-tongued devil."

Jeremy nodded, "He kind of is. He's a magnificent motivator, as well as a salesman. Jean- Pierre sees no wrong in this man. Who the hell am I to talk? I nearly swallowed his shit too."

"So, we've isolated Barrow as the principle control of what goes on Kadic and Yumi's school," Ulrich said, "Now how do we remove him from the system?"

Odd replied, "We could do a return to the past. Hear me out guys; we could rewind time and factor in key variables into John's profile so he can't enter Kadic."

Yumi said, "That's only a portion of the problem. If what Aelita's mother said is true, then this operation was in place probably long before Barrow came into Kadic. It's probably very long in the tooth in terms of development. We may, in fact, be only delaying what comes to Kadic, not negating it. Even if we hamstrung him getting in, what stops him from setting up shop elsewhere?"

Jeremy raised his hands, "We're dealing too much in terms of what if! Look, you're right, we have a chance. We can do this. XANA been negated from the equation. We have a great chance. But to undo all that has been done, it will require a massive exchange of life-force to restore the lives lost. But it can be done. We need to hurry."

The group headed out of Yumi's house and went down towards the factory. In his heart, Odd was happy, they could turn back the hands of time returning to a time that was paradise before descending into a form of nethermost hell. Ulrich would be relieved because, for once he could be free of the endless regimentation and have a sense of true freedom once more. Aelita focused on all the good that could be done from this action. How much harm could genuinely be undone, and all restored to how it indeed should be? Jeremy was internally running over the calculations to roll back the clock that far. He had never gone to this scale before, but he knew that in an hour he could do all he needed to do. Did he have second thoughts about this? Sure. Why wouldn't he? He was undoing the work of the better part of a week and a half. But he knew that for all things considered and even for the more significant avenue of the future, he had to deal with this. No, not he, the team, the team had to finish this hydra off before it could sprout more heads.

They made it to the factory, and once they'd gotten near the lift they pressed the button. The gentle whir of the machinery, but it seemed a bit slower than usual. They waited what seemed the ordinary time, and the lift door opened to reveal an empty elevator shaft.

Ulrich checked the shaft, "Huh, The first and fourth cable snapped. Well, let' go the long way then."

"Boiler Room it is," Odd said.

The group headed along the narrow way through the boiler room. It was quiet between them as they all focused on just how to get into the aspect of doing the whole of nearly a week and a half over again. But it wasn't so terrible but only the issue of doing the whole week again, considering what it meant for a few of them, it was going to be a challenge. But one thing that the Lyoko warriors had more or less made peace with is that as much as they were anxious to return to how it was, the gentle whisper of making it worse did very much linger in their minds. They made it to the door, and Jeremy opened it. As he went through, he looked around, and it only took him four seconds to freeze in place.

"It's gone—" Jeremy said with shock and horror, "It's gone!"

The rest of the team came through, and Jeremy's shock was echoed throughout all of them. It was all gone except for the chair, which was part of the super-computer. Ulrich sniffed the air and then looked around.

"Guys, you smell that?" he asked

Odd sniffed the air and said, "It's _Gold Leaf. _I'd know it anywhere. My uncle smokes the stuff by the bushel."

Ulrich nodded, "Odd come with me. We're going to check the server."

Odd went with Ulrich down into the core, and Odd's voice was the first to be heard, "Guys, Guys come down here quick!"

The team headed down to the core and saw that it too was gone, but there were also large splotches of dried blood; some in pooled drips others in bloodied handprints. It led to the server's core. Odd reached into his pocket and took out his flashlight and looked below. There was some shimmer of the drying blood on the hole where the server once was, but now it was nothing but blackness below with strands of wire.

Yumi looked around, "What-what happened here?"

"Whatever it is, it's recent," Odd said his legs beginning to shake, "Guys, come on. Let's get out of here."

Jeremy was amazed at just what happened or rather what was shown to have happened. The blood showed this person who had been wounded had crawled out of the terminal's holding dock most likely and had crawled up to a certain point. It was only evident due to the most blood pooling in one area. But the path of blood to that was one nightmarish streak of blood. Afterward, the trail of blood stopped. Jeremy knelt, the smell of the blood was very faint, and he touched the bloodstain. He felt the texture.

"This blood is, at best, just several minutes old. Whatever happened here, happened just before we got here. The blood is sticky not wet; it's had time to solidify and dry. That means likely ten minutes or so before we got here; this blood was fresh."

Odd nodded, "All the stuff is gone, the terminal, the super-computer. But someone came back and that someone was attacked. But from where?"

Yumi took Odd's flashlight and looked around and spotted a hole, "Guys, check this out." She went over to the hole, "Two holes here, and if it is what I think it is, they're rounds from a gun. And there's also blood smears around the bullet hole."

Ulrich then said, using his own phone's flashlight, spotting a trail of blood to a hole a bit higher. "Look above you; there's another bullet hole."

Yumi got up and said, "Huh, let's see here." She stood in front of the bullet-hole near the base and said, "Okay so from here we have what appears to be an ankle or leg shot of some kind…Aelita, look behind me, where does the other hole line up?"

Aelita looked and said, "It's just above your right shoulder."

"Okay, so this person isn't very tall if that's the case," Yumi said.

"Yeah, but the person fell or slumped, I think is more accurate," Jeremy said, "I mean it looks that way. The real question is to figure which bullet came first."

Odd nodded, "Yeah, well we aren't a criminal forensics team. At any rate, if this truly happened so recently, do you want to stick around if anyone comes back?"

Ulrich nodded, "He's right, let's head back. Our entire purpose for being here is moot as everything has been stripped."

Jeremy, however, stood in contemplation, and he then looked at Aelita, and she nodded.

"Alright, let's go," Jeremy said he headed to the boiler-room door.

As they headed out, Aelita stopped in front of him, "Did you remember the trace?"

Jeremy nodded and said, "Back at the academy, I'll explain it to the others."

Heading back to Yumi's house, the Lyoko warriors were deep in their own thoughts. However, Odd and Ulrich were thinking along the similar vein as they'd started a while ago, they had felt that in the form of warning that the computer had been packed up and crated off. Even if their dream wasn't about the immediate future, still the effect is the same, the machine was gone, and both knew it would have required inordinate amounts of manpower to strip it all so efficiently.

Jeremy was reflecting on the program he has installed within Lyoko's computer components. He had prepared this in a fail-safe if XANA somehow had utilized people directly into his plans. This idea was birthed from the time XANA had used Yumi against the team and was implemented after XANA had compromised Yolanda. The principle had shown itself as a valid factor repeatedly; however, XANA didn't appear to have the foresight to use this application directly. He had tried implementing separate isolation strategies for the critical components of the group, especially Aelita, but never did he attack the computer itself even with the meteor shower. And Jeremy knew that it was too high risk that XANA would negate himself; that's why even with degrees of certainty, the program wouldn't take the risk.

Jeremy knew that all he had to do was open up his program, which had extensive elements in place even if crucial components were detected if subjected to scrutiny. As smart as Jeremy warranted some people were, he knew that whoever had the super-computer didn't bank on a backdoor program of this nature. As they come in time to Yumi's house, the team headed inside. They had half an hour left on the window Ulrich had bought for them, and so they utilized twenty minutes just finishing on catching up for the meantime. With ten minutes left to get back in, they went and admittedly, they had done this on purpose. It was to get back at least the sensation of rush that they once had in a time that was seemingly long and far away.

Entering the Kadic's grounds, there were two minutes left on their timer, and according to their deal, the door to the dorms was open. However, they all slowed as Jeremy laid his hand on the door and opened it. They entered as they saw each guard one at either side of the hall. Their composure held even if the team faced the dregs of the run to Kadic. The group headed up to Jeremy's room, and they all sat down.

Jeremy then said, "It's not as dire as we'd think it is. I installed a back-door tracer into the Lyoko components after shall we say one too many possessions. This was to help in case XANA decided to break up the super-computer. It should be well-enough disguised that when I sign in," Jeremy whipped out his old laptop and started his program, "if the key elements are still active, we can at least figure out how to figure out just where it is."

Odd spoke, "Then what? It takes an entire army to move those components."

"That's my alternate plan. Because the pieces are rather hefty, we will send an order to one of the local garrisons around the city. We can send the orders through a specialized system to look like it came from an official directed command. Therefore, when we isolate the key physical components, we can have them transported and reassembled back to the factory in "the interests of national security."

Odd nodded, "So make phony documents, direct the pieces be picked up and reassembled, great. What about the lift?"

"A simple shredded cable," Aelita said, "Rethread, fasten to the lift, and we're back in working order, and that will be implemented before the documents are sent. But first we have to track down the supercomputer's components."

"Exactly," Jeremy said as he typed, "and if the actions of all that has been going on are to be any guide, the super-computer is very likely still in the country."

Ulrich got up and said, "That's all well and fine. I'll see you later, Odd. Gotta' take care of something before I turn in."

Odd nodded and said, "Peace be with you, man, because I have a feeling; you'll need it."

Ulrich smirked, "You have no clue."

Ulrich closed the door and headed up the hall through the double-doors to the girl's dormitory. Nearing Sissi's door, he took a deep breath and knocked. Sissi answered and smiled and let him in. Meanwhile, in Jeremy's room, the search had finished.

Jeremy adjusted his glasses, "The search is successful, but it could only isolate the main server and a portion of the HUD."

Odd nodded, "Meaning?"

Jeremy looked through the rest of the program, "Meaning that whoever has the computer discovered more of my trackers than I thought and if they didn't stop transmission they figured out how to fragment most of them, meaning it's a lot like using a multiple-layer reroute, the genuine location is hard to know, but from what I see the tracker of both the HUD and the main server are using the same IP but to isolate the true IP, I have to let this program run all night. Still, it's not the first time, and we at least have a strong lead."

Aelita got up, "Don't worry, Jeremy, we'll figure it out. It just takes a few hours of patience."

Jeremy set up his tower, and as it hummed to life, he lay on his bed, "Well at least, we're making more progress than we would otherwise."

Odd then said, "Hey Einstein, how are you securing your search?"

"IP Leapfrog," Jeremy said, "It's alright. Ever since they attempted to shut down the antenna a while back, I set up a hotspot to pool the processing power of various unsecured Wi-Fi networks so I can skim from the top of a lot of people and be relatively uninterrupted."

"Good policy," Odd said, "At any rate," he yawned and stretched, "I'm going to get to bed. It's been an interesting evening. Super-computer taken out and a possible murder, what's not to love?"

"Alright, well, goodnight then," Jeremy said.

Odd waved goodbye as Aelita approached the bed, "Scooch over," she said, and he did as she lay down beside him.

Jeremy put his arm around her, and she moved deeper into his body, "It's been one hell of an adventure so far, huh?" she asked.

Jeremy put his glasses on his nightstand, "One door closes, another opens as the expression goes."

Aelita closed her eyes and let out a sigh, "Well, at least we know somewhat what we're dealing with."

"Oh yeah, I mean, think about it. We go from basically a smarter version of Skynet to from what I can piece together from your mom, a ghost come back from the dead."

Aelita took his hand and gently kissed it, "She's not my mother Jeremy, at this point, she might as be an egg-donor giving us a rundown of our enemy."

"Don't be so hasty and count her out so soon, Aelita. I know you may have your differences, but she has her uses, I'm sure."

Aelita rolled her eyes at this; however she bore this in mind, "I'll think about it. Meanwhile, let's sleep."

Jeremy smiled, and he said, "Sure." He got up and changed into his pajamas putting his clothes into a hamper. Turning out the light, Jeremy then proceeded to get back into bed with Aelita, and as the cold darkness enveloped them, both fell peacefully to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

_**AN: This is a chapter that took a while to write, but I'm so glad it took the direction it did. Thank you for all of you who have stood by me as constant readers and reviewers. Your support means so very much to me and is the reason I can continue to produce as I do. Thank you once more. As always, read, review, and enjoy.**_

Chapter 16

Jeremy awoke out of very peaceful and restful sleep. He got up out of his bed gently so as not to disturb Aelita and investigated the search to zero in on the tracking signals. As he checked the data, he was very much surprised at what he saw. The program had taken a lot longer to lock onto the signals than he anticipated. As he ran a system diagnostic while the search ran, he soon discovered the reason for this anomaly. The signal, while broadcasting was subject to a splinter signal. Every half hour the program would get closer and closer before more than half of his work being reset. Jeremy wrote down the coordinates factoring in how far he had gotten before each splinter. Factoring in the digital signature and the coordinates on the globe as best he could Jeremy, narrowed down the search to somewhere within the territory of the French and German border, somewhere as best he could tell between Metz and Darmstadt.

Jeremy recalibrated the search engine to hone in on the new parameters and launched the search within the area. He watched and waited, closer and closer it came until once more, the signal splintered.

Jeremy chuckled, thinking to himself, "This is like cyber-limbo. How low can you go?"

Jeremy locked in the new parameters before the cut-off and homed in once more this time; he had narrowed the signal down to twelve blocks. Putting his head in his hand he contemplated. Patching into more of a domestic search, he punched in the twelve-block coordinates, and using satellite feed, Jeremy looked into what was available for the search area. Scanning each pane, Jeremy looked for large enough to not only house the super-computer but to camouflage its energy readings through thermal imaging. There were five significant candidates: An underground train, linked to it nearby were various subterranean cafes for commuters, above ground was a water-treatment plant, up in the far east of his search; there was also an automobile manufacturing plant, and to the far west, was what appeared to be a maximum-capacity greenhouse.

Jeremy reclined in his chair and said to himself, "So, in any one of these areas, the computer can potentially be. So, one more time, I have to plug in the variables to zero in on the location. So—"

Jeremy plugged in the variables as well as the numerical consistency in the splintering of the signal, a window that in itself grew smaller and smaller by one-fourth of a degree. He rationalized that if he could calculate the next split before it happened, that he could isolate and extract a hard location down to the very block and from that, have a more precise educated guess as to which energy signature to focus on for the supercomputer's most likely location. Once his computations were finished, Jeremy activated the search and the correlation between the tracker data emission and the energy signature correlated in the very gentlest of overlaps but its location, far more precise than he'd hoped. Jeremy saw the screen automatically pan and zero in on the tracer signal. It was sandwiched in-between the restaurants and the underground tube station.

"There you are," Jeremy thought, "But why sandwiched in that exact location?"

Jeremy typed in the location and zoomed in from the satellite feed. As the lens focused more and more on that area, Jeremy's eyes went wide. "So that's it." he thought, "Smart fucking plan, John, not smart enough, though."

Jeremy wrote down the coordinates of the super-computer location, and luckily for him, it was just inside the peripheral French territory so he could act using his program for military acquisition. But he had to be careful. Jeremy knew he couldn't just issue the order; it wasn't that easy. He knew, however, the main element of what needed to be done. All it would do as far as the overall general public was concerned is take out communications for the better part of an hour. But that wouldn't do. What needed to be done instead to get the super-computer back as it was, was to ensure that even with the super-computer uprooted in its new form, that a significant disruption could be circumvented through directing traffic into another source to provide at best a hiccup in communications, not an hour-long blackout.

Jeremy wrote down the ponderings in a private notepad and placed the pad underneath his bed between the mattress and springs. As Jeremy headed out to the showers to freshen up, he thought to himself, "So, that's what they did. It's a very good plan, an excellent plan to implement its processing speed. The problem will be circumventing it while the main soldiers extract it. I have a feeling even though I can make the order of a more urgent nature, too quickly and they may launch an internal corruption of all the data in the super-computer. So, well—it'll take time, but I can't exactly twiddle my thumbs either, although I can at least formulate a few plans based on what I can dig up over the next two days."

Jeremy headed into the shower and turned on the hot water letting the hot spray comfort and soothe his body. In this time alone, at least for now, he was reflecting on what he had just seen. And Jeremy knew that for all he had seen that this plan, whatever it was, was a plan that like Aelita's mother had said, was beyond XANA All Jeremy knew was this was something in which he had to be very careful. He knew that of all things, he could only issue so many military orders, and he genuinely didn't want to waste life. And so, in Jeremy's mind if he was to fully utilize the military to get back the super-computer, he had to be equally quick to act and at the same time, remain the epitome of cautious.

Turning off the water, Jeremy dried off, put his robe on, and headed back to his room. As he opened the door he saw that Aelita had gone, and that was just fine for now. Jeremy closed and locked his door and proceeded to dress in a dark brown polo shirt and tan slacks with blue and white converse sneakers. Combing his hair, he thought on various ways to approach the super-computer's extraction when a knock came at his door.

Opening the door, he saw Odd and Ulrich, "Hey Einstein, how's the plan coming?" Odd asked as they entered.

Jeremy said, "Well, I finally tracked down the signal of the super-computer's main components and found that the computer is lodged into a major commuter town. The downside is it has been integrated into the town's power grid to help maximize cellular network and internet coverage."

Ulrich sighed, "So what you're telling me is they turned the super-computer into a glorified transmission tower?"

"Yes, but ultimately that's perfectly fine as with XANA gone, it poses no true threat to the outside. The applications for the super-computer to be a cellular antenna is shockingly one of its baser subroutines. I discovered the capability to do so about my third month learning the super-computer's main functions with Aelita's help. It was designed to be a form of communication if the area around the factory was hit with a cellular outage. The problem, however, is that it's been so integrated into the system, that unless we can find an alternate means of service, we can't move the super-computer without causing a major disruption to the area."

Odd nodded, "So this population is it rural or urban?"

Jeremy replied, "It's more rural than urban, why?"

"Here's what you do, you need to cause a form of cut of power that would take out the internet for that main area. It would ground things to a halt, but trust me, rural areas, a man can hit a phone pole and take out power for the better part of a day, and it will largely stay that way until linemen can fix the issue. Use that blackout and move the super-computer in the blackout."

"That's just one aspect, Odd," Ulrich replied, "You're not exactly addressing the issue of matching the super-computer's strength provided to that area. If you don't have a plan to replace the unit itself, the people will notice, and if what we've been learning is any indication, the people that took the super-computer knows that to be very well the case. Why else put it into a rural area? It's easier to keep under wraps."

Jeremy cleared his throat, "That's why I'm going to make use of a system I designed in case this should ever happen. I originally designed it for XANA In short, what it calls for is a military movement on the super-computer to attain it and relocate it to the factory, which we're going to shore up with more defenses once installed, so it's not so easily uninstalled. The actual element of replacing the signal strength while important is not exactly our problem; it's our mutual enemy's."

"Well, you better make sure the factory is ready if that's the plan. The army I doubt would want to set up where someone was very nearly killed." Ulrich said.

Jeremy nodded, "I've taken care of that as well as rethreading the elevator cable."

Odd's eyes went wide, "Already?"

"Well, no, but I will once breakfast is concluded," Jeremy replied.

Odd's eyes returned to normal, "I thought so. Alright, let's get this underway."

As the boys lined up for breakfast, Aelita soon joined them. The line was smaller than usual for the early morning, but that was understandable as a majority of the younger grades were more geared towards a field trip with Ms. Hertz for an end-of-the-year trip. Jeremy smelled the food, it smelled great for once, he could smell the hot maple syrup, and it was soothing, genuinely warming. He was relaxing now, all he had to do was send in the cleaners to clean up the super-computer terminal, rethread the elevator's wire, and then send out his initiative. Despite his relaxation however, Jeremy was more than aware, this initiative was a one-shot affair. He had to be very certain, and so after dinner, while the factory was being prepared, he would research the city that was affected to get an idea of just how integral the super-computer had been made into the community.

Aelita then said quieter than usual, "Has Jeremy told you of the initiative?"

Odd and Ulrich nodded, "We know what to anticipate," Ulrich said, "We just have to wait for him to launch his program."

Jeremy then said, "It should be relatively simple. We just need to ensure the super-computer gets back here largely unaltered and what I can put in, it should be no major problem to move it covertly back to the factory."

"Back to the factory?" Aelita asked, "Is that truly wise? I mean, wouldn't that be the first place it would be looked for? If this John Barrow is who you think him to be, I know if I were him, I'd look directly back where the computer once was. Jeremy, don't let familiarity make you complacent."

Jeremy sighed gently, "Aelita, what would you propose I do?"

Aelita's eyebrow arched, "Really? You can get me into Kadic no questions asked; you can coordinate real troop movements, and you somehow can't secure a staging ground for the computer?"

Ulrich stepped in, "Princess; realistically it took time to prepare what your dad put in place. We don't have near as much time. Even if Jeremy could secure a second building, we'd need to have someplace ready to have it serve as our staging ground for the super-computer. Secondly, we don't know how many other players are out there, apart from those that this Barrow dude works with."

Odd was watching the rest of the cafeteria, and he saw Jim sitting at the head left table watching the line. He turned back to get his tray as he'd gotten to the serving window. Personally, Odd knew Aelita was right, as was Ulrich. The unfortunate aspect was that Odd knew they couldn't at all be sure that there _were _other players. He knew this operation, whatever it was had converted the super-computer into a cell-tower. The reasoning Odd knew behind that very element was straightforward. It wasn't mean to be moved at all. It served a passive function in providing robust cell coverage, but the real question was the active function, and what was it doing?

Jeremy then said to Aelita in a bit of hushed anger, "It's like I told you, these elements would be not our problem but theirs. Also bear in mind many of the public are too afraid to stand opposed to military force, and that is something we can use to go in, get the job done, and get out just as quickly. Sure, the area will be in the dark, but that's not so much our problem as it is theirs."

Aelita shrugged, "Sure, okay, but I'm not all that confident in the placement of the supercomputer. The plan, I don't disagree with, it's the placement of the computer that bothers me."

Ulrich then leaned in, "Honestly, Aelita, we don't have time or resources to make a more secure place. We already must make peace with the aspect that whoever has the super-computer already knows a lot of its functions. Kind of a given, if you ask me. What we need to do, is get it back and Einstein's right, send in the soldiers, have them round it up, get it back, and we can soup up our defenses of the factory. If the super-computer is in our hands, it's not in the hands of our enemies, that simple."

Ulrich turned and took his tray and got his helping of breakfast, followed by Jeremy and then Aelita. The tensions were a bit higher; Ulrich knew, but this was not uncommon. This was simply figuring out how best to go about their mission. Ulrich didn't precisely always care for the hammer approach, but this was the only avenue that made feasible sense. Thankfully today was the beginning of the weekend, and that gave the team plenty of time to be thorough. Aelita, however, was deep in thought. She knew that Anthea knew something, but she didn't know how to get ahold of her. Aelita remembered her car's license plate; it was a detail she had stored in her wristband if she were to be, as she feared at that time abducted.

"Jeremy," she said, "I need your help in localizing a car."

Jeremy looked at her, "Why?"

"My reasons are my own," she said, "Please, I just need your help in getting a plate and VIN."

Jeremy nodded, "Okay, we'll get started after breakfast."

Aelita nodded, thinking to herself that if she could get her mother's plates and find her car, she could logically find her and a means to talk with her. The only reason she was apprehensive about this was that if her mother was still indeed working with the government, that car could quickly be gone. However, if Aelita could find her mother, she could find out more about the operation that John Barrow had worked on, or at least the man claiming he was John Barrow. Admittedly there was a great deal riding on her supposition, but even if the program that was being implemented wasn't used for harm, Aelita still internally shuddered at the aspect of a program meant to protect and safeguard people. What if the program that her mother had described was potentially worse than X.A.N.A? What if possibly following its directive, that it would limit freedoms as opposed to expanding upon them? The idea in Aelita's mind was that if this system was indeed a rogue program with rogue agents as extensions of itself, but was an operation without a dominant hand at the switch? Such an element could change the face of the world far more easily than she cared to admit. But for now, she felt as much as she may not like the lack of forward-thinking that Jeremy's plan had, she had a better chance trusting in his plan than having no plan to trust in at all.

Jeremy had a free period on Fridays, and so, to make the most of it, he made more of a hurry to finish his breakfast and then headed promptly to his room. A fear that was rooted in his heart was this: The greater the time spent without the super-computer to do a reset to return to the past, the greater the time went day by day even hour by hour, the number of calculations already on what he had to do was mounting, and he knew if he didn't act in the next two days, it wouldn't matter, it would be too far gone to implement the return to the past. Even if he had Aelita help him set the parameters, every day grew the risk; every hour grew a chance of a disaster slowly mounting. Jeremy knew deep inside that this was reality, and as much as Aelita would have desired a safer place, the return to the past would nullify or, instead, hopefully nullify much of what had transpired so far.

Entering his room Jeremy, headed to this computer. He had an hour and five minutes, just enough time. Jeremy sent out the call first to a local connection he had found over a year ago to thread the elevator cable, and he lined up an industrial cleaner that his father utilized in his business. The estimated time of arrival for both would be within three hours of each other. That was fine; all that needed to be done was to utilize the armed reserve aspect to secure the super-computer. Even though he was setting this up, his heartbeat was fast, and Jeremy was beginning to sweat. He knew full well the weight of potentially how badly this could wind up. However, Jeremy knew also that time was indeed of the essence. He had locked the final coordinates of the super-computer and sent above general descriptions of the primary components to be attained.

His heart beat all the faster while Jeremy entered the information for the armed retrieval request. As he looked at the line asking for the requested number for the operation, he swallowed hard as he looked over the familiar terms before him: Platoon or Company. Taking a deep breath, Jeremy clicked the checkmark that said Company. He typed in the coordinates of the super-computer, and after filling out all command orders, he sent it through the backdoor that he had officiated with requests to send back hourly reports while on the mission. His shot had been fired, his one-time shot. Jeremy took a deep breath and reclined in his chair for a moment. He knew very well the full weight of responsibility or so he had thought. A company of men he had sent into frankly what should be an easy, straightforward mission of extraction, retrieval, and relocation. In Jeremy's mind he was praying it was indeed that easy.

Jeremy shakily got up and changed his shirt due to the sweat he knew had begun to stain his shirt earlier gently. He threw his shirt in his hamper, went to get a T-shirt and put it on after applying a reasonable degree of deodorant. He heard a knock at the door. He opened it, and it was Aelita. Seeing he was somewhat hot and flushed she said nothing at first and came inside.

"You fired your salvo, didn't you?" she asked.

Jeremy nodded and said, "I know there's a risk in everything, but the targeted area seems to look okay from the sky. Hopefully, we should have all we need and the super-computer back in our possession within the next day."

"When are you anticipating delivery?" Aelita asked.

"Tonight, hopefully, around three in the afternoon," Jeremy said.

Aelita nodded and gave him the license plate she had written down, "Can you please see if you can find this? It's a long-shot, but I think if we can find this car, we can get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later."

Jeremy exhaled, "Sure. I'll punch it into my search database and see what I can find. We'll let the scan run while we're in class."

Jeremy took the license plate number, and he typed it into his search engine. The search began, and both he and Aelita left to head to Algebra II. As they walked, Jeremy had started to calm down and collect himself. At least being in Ms. Meyers's class would be far more beneficial to help return him to the normal flow. The only reason he was this way was that unlike how he tried to portray it, there wouldn't be a return to the past to save him if this went awry, and to Jeremy, this was the highest risk of all.

Meanwhile, Ulrich and Odd were in Chardin's drama class; today was exciting as Chardin was explaining varied elements both in narrative by a screenwriter as well as filming decisions made by supervising directors. For once Odd was legitimately taking as many notes and side-notes as he could. It was rare that Chardin had the resources before to expand in this degree of narrative storytelling, but since the last few grants came in, Kadic had allocated the funds to struggling departments.

"Now," Chardin continued, "let me ask you a question, class? Is there ever such a thing as strict black and white situations in narrative storytelling?"

Nicholas raised his hand, "No, sir. Because one has to look at the motivations of a character for doing a select action and even then, looking at why he or she performed that act a certain way."

"Exactly. Thank you, Polyakov. A good writer should show be it in book, film, and even your loved videogames that every choice and every action taken by the hero has a natural albeit unpredictable aspect of impact on the world around them. Too often across the various genres you find many aspects of writing which rely on a simple black and white interpretation of good and evil. This paradigm shows itself most prominent in the days of early film namely the nineteen-fifties and sixties. There are various companies that love the "wholesome approach" as it is termed where good always triumphs over evil. What can be considered detrimental to this approach?"

Odd raised his hand, and Chardin nodded at him, "The downside is that it doesn't account for people being people. Building on what Nicholas said, we have our motivations for doing things a certain way. The black and white morality confines these characters to the archetypes of good and evil and doesn't account for a character's human interests or usual self-motivation."

Ulrich's eyes went wide as he listened to this.

Chardin nodded, "Exactly. Now, for example, let's go around the class, and let's talk about a realistic aspect of a scenario that could easily be brought to film. Does anyone want to go first?"

Odd's hand shot up, and Chardin nodded again, "Continue,"

"Well, here's an idea. You know how in action movies that if you blow a supposed bad guy away no one calls the police, or seemingly no one remembers the whole slaughter-fest the next morning? How about for everything the main character does to bring down the supposed bad-guy that those he effects remembers him, and so retribution doesn't come so fast and so maybe five years and some change down the line, he's killed by the wife or sister of one of the people who decided to make it their priority to hunt him down?"

Chardin smiled, "Excellent, Della Robia, who else?"

Nicholas's hand went up, and Chardin nodded to him, "Well, here's something that's a bit simpler. What if you go out on a date with someone and say you have an interview the next day, and the interviewer is the person you went out with?"

Herve replied, "Truthfully, that sounds just a bit contrived, Nicholas."

Chardin rebutted, "But it is not outside the realm of reason, Pichon. If anything, it is very reminiscent of how on smaller scales, some things do work. Sometimes the simplest aspects of recourse have the most eye-opening elements of surprise in a story. Well done, Polyakov."

Nicholas smiled at Herve, to which Herve shrugged.

As further examples were given by the other students, Ulrich whispered, "Some examples that Nicholas gave huh?"

Odd nodded, "Hey, it's realistic, can't fault him for that. Because one some level that's happened to someone somewhere."

"Man, you really like this class, huh?"

"Hey, what can I say? It's something I personally always wanted to perfect screenwriting to make my films more interesting. A good script is key to any good story, but as is being shown, sticking to what is really no matter how unlikely."

In the next fifteen minutes, the class ended, the final was in two weeks, but Chardin's finals were not traditionally all that bad as a general thing. Odd and Ulrich proceeded to go meet up with Aelita and Jeremy for Phys. Ed in the block approaching. As they headed to the locker room, they noticed the guards who stood watch over the main building. Each one silent, stoic, as if they had been trained to ignore every outside distraction except their duty.

"You know what they remind me of?" Odd said to Ulrich.

"No, what?"

"Reminds me of the guards at Buckingham Palace when I went there a couple of years ago. Those dudes wouldn't distract for anything unless you touched them."

"Yeah, but can't they arrest you?"

"If you touch them, they will yell, and if you persist well—they present their bayonets. Don't ask how I know, I just do."

"Fair enough," Ulrich said with a chuckle.

As they got to the locker rooms, one by one, the students scanned their cards, which was recorded into the attendance database. Odd and Ulrich scanned their cards and proceeded to head into the locker-room. As they changed into their clothes, Ulrich noticed a lovely smell in the air. He looked around, and to his shock, the locker-room floors were polished so meticulously that not only could he see his face in the tiles, but also there was an audible squeaking among every pair of sneakers.

"Wow, a new cleaning regimen?" Ulrich asked, "It doesn't smell like B.O. and shit today."

Odd nodded, "Yeah, it certainly seems like it. Even the older stains in the shower are completely lifted as if they ere never there."

"Huh. Well, now we can shower without fear of athlete's foot." Ulrich said with a smile.

"Which, to be honest is the only major benefit," Odd said, laughing a bit.

"Come on, we better report outside before Jim kills us with a double-time football drill."

They headed outside just as Jeremy entered the locker-room, and both met up with Aelita. Aelita seemed to be a bit more relaxed than she was at breakfast. As they sat with the rest of their class awaiting instruction, they got to talking.

"Did you find the car you were looking for?" Odd asked.

"Yes." Aelita said, "As I thought, after a comprehensive sweep, they were government plates. My mother genuinely works with the government; however, be she a prisoner or a willful agent, it's hard to tell anymore."

"Well, judging by her meeting with her, I'd she's more inclined to be on their side than yours. I mean, why negate so much of what you've done if she honestly valued you as a mother should?" Ulrich asked.

Aelita sighed, "I have a feeling I know the answer. But until I talk to her tonight, I won't know for sure."

Ulrich put his hand on her shoulder, "What do you mean? What's on your mind?"

Aelita looked at the sky outside from the top window of the gym, "Nothing, for now, at least."

Jeremy came to sit alongside them, and Ulrich asked, "Hey, Einstein, how are things lining up for relocation?"

"Just fine, thanks." Jeremy said, "I got confirmation of the elevator's cable being rethreaded, and I already wired the money ahead as payment and received a video of it back in full operation. The cleaning crew just started and should have the job done in two hours."

Jim's whistle blew, "Alright, today we're are going to start a training regimen for the encroaching last days of class to build up to the overall intense aspect of greater track and field sports once you graduate to higher classes. I've set up a training outline for all of you to follow in a constant rotation until the period is done. We're breaking off into groups of four, sound off!"

As the children gave off their numbers one by one, Jim sorted the children due to their numerical value. Heading out, the Lyoko warriors saw that the course that Jim had set up was a near duplicate of what the team had during strength training a year and a half ago. Inside, all of them winced, knowing full well the scale of what Jim was capable of. This notwithstanding, however, the exercises began. Cycle by cycle, the ten teams of four went steadily faster and faster, the feverish desire building what started as drudging work into that of heated competition.

In many ways, this is what Jim desired most of all. He knew he had one year left with this class, and the darling of his desires was the get them to the national championships for their division and grade. Jim knew it was far more than possible and personally knew it was easily achievable in through this systematic drilling over the next few weeks he would choose the very best for the final year's advanced players to try out first. However, this news was to be saved until the very last as Jim knew that if he told the class what his intentions were, they would have less than a stellar attitude about the whole aspect of the class for the next few weeks. Then finally after a full hour of the rotations through the numerous obstacles, the whistle blew. It was fortunate as well, for most of the class was nearly exhausted. Jim made his tallies of all the teams, and he smiled.

"Class, I have great news. This entire aspect of training." Jim said, "The fact of it is each team performed exceptionally well for many of you have this as a first-time assessment. However, the best are chosen for advancement to our school's league football team. The key to this, however, is not to lose hope. For those of you who excel over the next two weeks, those currently on the roster will have to maintain performance or outperform to stay in preference. And for those who make the final cut, will be initiated into the draft by which you will be free from one of your traditional courses to train for the games later in the season. As it stands, of all groups, the top performers are as follows: Ulrich Stern, Nicholas Polyakov, Aelita Stones, Heidi Klinger, Thomas Jolivet, and Claire Girard. That is all for this class period if you fell behind don't at all feel bad you have the next few class periods to get to the top of the list. Now, go shower and get ready for lunch."

As both the boys and girls went into their respective shower-rooms, Aelita turned on her bracelet, and after picking a song from her playlist, which she was gradually building, she sent the song to Jeremy's bracelet. Then, she turned on the hot shower. It was cold at first gravitating in time to hot which was perfect for her. The music was smooth, and it helped the acoustic guitar was gentle and yet having interval of intensity throughout it. The song continued, and Aelita began to sing gently, her voice beautifully matched in pitch and pacing with the song. Sissi, who was at a nearby shower, heard this, and for the first time, she was struck dumb as she listened to the music from the voice next door. Sissi listened spellbound as the lyrics continued

_Bought a ticket for a runaway train._

_Like a madman laughing at the rain._

_Little out of touch, little insane._

_It's just easier than dealing with the pain. _

_Runaway train never going back,_

_Wrong way down a one-way track. _

_Seems like I should be getting somewhere._

_Somehow neither here nor there._

_Runaway train never coming back,_

_Runaway Train tearing up the track, _

_Runaway Train burning in my veins._

_Runaway, but it always seems the same. _

As the song's ending acoustics took over, Sissi finished her shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and went over to where she heard Aelita sing, but to her surprise, there was no one in the shower stall. She stood there thinking, "_My God, that was such a beautiful voice."_

In time, the tone for lunch sounded, and the students headed from the gymnasium to the cafeteria, the next building over. Jim personally loved this new tone system; it kept the children largely in order, and additionally he didn't have to worry so much these days about the petty squabbles of the kids shoving or cutting their way to a hot meal. The best part was the children in themselves were uniquely self-sufficient in policing their own. Besides, they'd more or less achieved a form of what he'd call semi-maturity to which such petty things were growing to be more and more beneath them.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and the rest and the rest of the Lyoko warriors were sitting eating their lunch. All of them were nearly wiped from Jim's class, but it was an excellent form of fatigue. As they ate Jeremy knew that the operation had been underway, at least since Meyer's class, and if all went well, they should have the super-computer back where it needed to be. Jeremy knew he had a bit of time to wait before he could freely check the operation's status, but an idea popped into his mind.

"Aelita, you have a free period after lunch, correct?" he asked

"Yeah, I have free-period. Until the final period, then it's Introduction to Chemistry. Why?"

"I need you to go into my room and look over the operation update. It's largely been half a day, and I want to see what is coming of it."

"Sure. Again, you said it was anticipated the super-computer was to be here at three or so was it this day or the next"

"Today around three-thirty at the latest. But if the soldiers need a bit more time, it's effortless to have it delayed until tomorrow. If that's the case, text me, and I'll set it up at the interval between fourth and final period. Just read the transcript that has been printing off since I started this, and if anything shows up, let me know."

Aelita nodded, "Okay, that's just fine." She finished her tray and said, "I'll get going now so I can let you know hopefully before lunch lets out."

"There's no rush; if anything, it should be just fine. And if you don't make it back in time, text me."

Aelita nodded, and after dumping her tray, she headed to the dorms. She opened Jeremy's door and saw the transcript printing at that moment. Headed up to it, Aelita read from the beginning as far as it had printed.

_0600: Company departed for the destination._

_1100: Company arrival at destination. _

_11:30: Encountered Minor Resistance for acquisition. Resolved through non-lethal measures._

_1200: Components of required machinery undergoing deconstruction for transport back to destination. _

_12:45: First half of mechanized components successfully crated and labeled._

_13:00: Operation Completion Estimate: 1600 _

_13:05: Delivery ETA 18:45_

Upon seeing this, Aelita sent the text message, "_Jeremy, everything is moving along just fine, drop off will be at 8:45 tonight."_

He responded, _"Was there any resistance?"_

"_Minimal it was attained through non-lethal means and the as of ten or so minutes ago half the computer was packed."_

"_Excellent, keep watch over developments til' final period, please." _

"_Sure."_

As Aelita snapped her phone shut, she breathed a sigh of relief. She knew they were ever-so-close to finishing off this entire mess, and honestly she couldn't wait to reverse this whole nightmare. She lay on Jeremy's bed, and soon, his computer began beeping. Aelita went to the monitor and saw that the receipt for a _Cosmos Cleaning _had come through. Aelita stored this in a small file she made called receipts, and she lay back down, staring at the sunlight on the ceiling as it was gently beginning to slant announcing the prelude of evening. It was peaceful here in the utmost in tranquility and calm. In the room It always was and now that things were slowly managing to work themselves out.

That evening, Jeremy, Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita had were gathered into Jeremy's room and thanks to a small camera that Jeremy installed while the rest of the group was looking at the bloodstains, the group was able to oversee with genuine glee the soldiers uncrating and piece by piece assembling the super-computer. It was evident that the soldiers wanted to stick to their schedule so much so that according to their transcript, they had arrived a half-hour earlier than what was expected.

Jeremy especially oversaw this with extreme anticipation. He knew this had been a very close shave, and when he reflected on it, the use of the soldiers on the civilian populace was a great idea. It was due to the trust that most people had of the soldiers that had allowed them to dismantle, pack, ship, and now reassemble the super-computer back in its original docking.

"Man," Odd said, "I have no clue there were that many components inside the super-computer."

Jeremy smiled, "Yep, forty-two thousand individual components that luckily Franz saw fit to use in installable box modules, and that's not counting the fifty yards of alternating cables as well as the ten surge dampeners."

"Well, it doesn't look like that much, Einstein," Ulrich said.

"True. But a lot of it is already compartmentalized into breakaway segments for easier assembly." Jeremy said after he sipped cocoa.

"They've been at this for the better part of three hours. It's that big an undertaking, huh?" Odd asked, "Well, considering we've been in the Cyberized Chateau Diff for a bit, it's hardly surprising that it was able to be moved so quickly."

"Yeah, but they are nearly done." Jeremy said, "All that they need to do now is to secure the casing, so not too much dust gets in there to mess things up later."

"Are we good to go and check it out afterward?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Aelita," Ulrich said, "I was able to act on what I gave to Sissi to get us another two-hour window outside the Area. Also, while I did that, I was able to find a better way to get around the guards."

Just a few moments later, the final casings were put into the super-computer. Jeremy oversaw this with his full attention, and once the team was done, Jeremy's print-out of the transcript printed, "_Objective complete. Awaiting further orders." _

Jeremy went through his dummy reroute and said, "Put the machine on standby. Afterward, you are dismissed to go back to base."

The group observed the super-computer fully springing back to life, and once this was done, the company packed up all the crates and stacked them along the circular base of the computer-room and, once done, loaded up into their transports and pulled out.

Jeremy said, "Okay, Ulrich what's the best way to get out of here?"

Ulrich said, "Sissi spent enough nosing around to understand that if you want to, you can make entire breaches in the security wall. Through that, you can make your path out of the building, but it needed administrator access. She knew her father's password because he uses pretty much the same password for everything."

Jeremy nodded as he got his running shoes on, "And, what is that password?"

"Elisabeth."

Odd smiled, chuckling a bit as he said, "It's his daughter, so it makes sense."

"Anyway, we advance along the east wall. There are the emergency exits for the girls and guys' shower-rooms. So, all you must do is dress lightly with a robe covering all but your feet. Take your shoes and tell the guards it's for your feet after the shower. Go out the main window central unto the fire-escape which the sensors have been deactivated and after that we're good for two hours. Remember to stay along the east wall, anything else, and we'll be pulling an Andy Dufrense to get out of here."

The group nodded and, in their turns, went to their respective showers, Odd and Ulrich first after bidding Jeremy goodnight, followed by Aelita and then finally after two minutes, Jeremy. Both groups went to the central window and opened it. It was a tight squeeze, but it wasn't terrible. Each made their way to the fire-escape on the eastern wall and were together. They each descended one at a time so as not to arouse any suspicion. In time they were all on the ground, and they headed over the east wall and reached the other side, all safe.

Heading along their usual route, they stopped by to get Yumi, who Ulrich had called while Odd was on his way through the window. They all headed speedily at a quick jog to the factory. It took no time as at this point the factory run was second nature. They double-checked, saw the coast was clear, and headed in. They descended to the lift on the pullies and punched the button. The ride was smoother thank silk, and soon they were at the hibernating computer. Jeremy sat in at his computer chair, cracked his knuckles and started up the program.

"Get ready guys; we're going to undo this whole mess in five—four—three—two—one!"

Jeremy pressed the enter key, but at that very moment a blast of voltage screamed through the board causing a powerful snap of sound equal to a thunderclap. The group was blasted back, and Aelita saw in horror as Jeremy's body jolted and convulsed violently before falling back into the chair and slumping.

"Jeremy!" She screamed in anguish and fright. The others slammed against the wall, and as they struggled to get back on their feet due to the blast, a voice came to their attention.

"_Hello, my dear children. Now you see the consequences of meddling with forces you do not comprehend." _

Aelita clutched Jeremy's body sobbing. It smelled of charred flesh emanating from his blackened, fried hand.

"Who the hell are you?!" Yumi replied.

"_You already know a portion of my body that serves me well. But now is not the time for that. What matters now is, what are you willing to do? Are you going to save your friend, or try and re-establish your former utopia?"_

Ulrich yelled at the invisible speaker, "What the fuck is going on?! Who are you?!"

"_You're not answering my question. Are you going to save your friend or restore your utopia? You cannot have both." _

Aelita had stopped sobbing; her hands gripped Jeremy tightly. She looked at the computer and said to the voice, "So, this is what you are huh? This is what you are? The ultimate in moral testing!" 

"_No less moral than Jeremy bringing you to life to remedy his loneliness, among other wants. In that grand scheme of comparison, who is the eviler of us two? Best hurry, Aelita, you don't have much time left."_

Aelita flung to the keyboard and feverishly typed, faster and faster, even though in anguish, she performed faster and realized the truth of the voice.

"You monster! You fucking monster! Why did you do this?" she screamed.

"_A foundation of peace and unity is what I have in my utmost desires. Which do you want? The death of one or the death of many?"_

Yumi put her hand on Aelita's shoulder, who violently shook it off. Aelita's heart burned as if pierced by a red-hot iron. She pressed the button and screamed, "Return to the past now!"

A flash of light flooded the room, and indeed, the whole area and when the Lyoko warriors opened their eyes, they saw Aelita as she gently kissed Jeremy's forehead, whose body had been restored.

"I'm never going to let you go," She whispered as he gently came to, "Never am I going to let you go."


	17. Chapter 17

_**AN: Thank you, all of you who continue to read and review my work. As always, your support means so much to me and helps me to grow as a writer. Please read, review, and enjoy this new chapter. There will not be a new chapter next week as I will be busy celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Until next time, my dear readers, I hope you all have a safe, wonderful and merry holiday weekend.**_

_**Pagliacci-11 **_

Chapter 17

It was silent between most of the group as they walked home. Three of the Lyoko warriors were in a word stunned. What started out as a night to undo the damage that had happened over the past few weeks, it was now moot. Admittedly, however, in its place, stood Jeremy, their friend, restored to life and his memories to just before the shock that killed him. Aelita was still talking to Jeremy about the lead up to only what could be described as his resurrection. But in their hearts, Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi knew very well what had happened. It was an answer to a question that Ulrich had asked some time ago, "Do you think Aelita and Jeremy would be willing to die for each other?"

Deep within them, they knew that question while they had jokingly talked about it amongst themselves; the answer was staring them right in the face. So long as the super-computer remained a fixture of their lives, if either one of them desired it, they would continue to rewind time until they had the solution they desired. But now there was something else, a voice from within the computer it seemed, a voice that knew how to press the right buttons. It was a voice that all three knew antagonized Aelita into action to restore Jeremy, but it posed a very interesting question. "To restore your Utopia or your friend, you can't have both."

As Ulrich thought about it, the voice had Aelita caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Neither option given to Aelita was of genuine benefit as far as he could see. However, he dared not utter the full extent of this thought aloud. Yumi, however, knew very well what this was. The voice had given Aelita an ultimatum. It was something akin to what she was learning back in school. As far as Yumi's view was concerned, the whole dialogue exchange was a very strongly enforced aspect of Utilitarianism. The voice had given Aelita a choice, to restore what it called their Utopia or to restore Jeremy's life. Yumi knew it was very likely a hard choice; it was a choice she personally never wished she was forced to consider personally.

Odd was silent as he watched Jeremy and Aelita talk. He had seen Aelita fall apart at that moment. He knew that feeling personally having experienced it when his uncle had passed a few years ago. And he also knew the pain that was coursing through her veins. It was a pain desperately attempting to speak, and yet Odd knew the decision was not nearly as hard as it seemed. Whatever the voice was, it was right about one thing. Jeremy, Odd knew, was not at all entirely innocent of his own motivations in bringing Aelita to earth. Odd secretly knew more than he let on. But in knowing what he knew, Odd also saw before his eyes the lengths each would go for each other. To say such a love extended to all the team was a maybe. But for each other, there was no doubt that his eyes didn't deceive him. He saw with crystal clarity the value that Jeremy held to Aelita, and she to him.

As they continued their walk back to Kadic, John Barrow and Maria were observing from a parked car. John was silent as she watched, and Maria was checking the energy signatures around the factory emanating from the super-computer core.

"Well," she said, "we have what we need Johnny."

John was silent a moment and then said, "So it would seem. Alright. Back to the safehouse, we go then. Trial One is complete."

They started their car, and as it softly turned over, they pulled out and headed back towards the industrial sector of the city.

There was still half an hour of time left to burn before the team had to be back inside Kadic's walls. The team stopped back off at Yumi's, and they had a small dinner of a couple of microwave dinners. Ulrich, however, had something on his mind, and he had to discuss it with the one person he felt would understand. He gently nudged Yumi and both headed upstairs.

Once they got inside, Yumi closed the door and said, "What is it, Ulrich?"

"Something occurred to me, and I know it's occurred to you too. Tonight, with all that happened—there's no easy way of asking, do you think Jeremy has as much care and regard for us as he does for Aelita or even Aelita having as much care for us as they do for each other?"

Yumi sat down on a small stool in front of her dresser, "They're low-key fuck buddies what more do you want from them? Besides, they've bailed us all out more times than can be counted."

"Yumi, you know what I mean."

"Given they've brought me back countless times and yourself a few more, consider this; they see us as good friends; they don't see us as tools to achieve an end."

"I didn't say that," Ulrich said.

"You don't have to; you're implying it. Your fear is not unfounded. You think with XANA gone that in many ways Aelita and Jeremy don't care for us as they may have under those circumstances. But you must look at Aelita's mindset when doing as she did tonight. Between choosing the world's benefit or our benefit with Jeremy, she chose Jeremy."

"That doesn't exactly inspire courage, Yumi," Ulrich said as he rested his head against her headboard.

"Well, put yourself in Aelita's shoes, why would she bring back Jeremy?"

Ulrich looked at her, "Odd and I have had countless discussions on this. Do you want the reality, or do you want the sugared truth?"

Yumi smirked, "Both."

Ulrich rolled his eyes, "Okay. Truth: He gave her back a physical life on this world or plane of existence. He provides for her clothing and all manner of comfort from physical needs to pleasures. I'm sure sex wasn't the first thing on his mind; rather, he was enamored by the element of an intelligent AI as we all thought at first. However, I know sex is kind of a thing that binds them, but for Jeremy, it's different. He's not a user like Odd is, let's be honest with each other. Jeremy loves the very concept of molding Aelita's mind. If he could have it in his power as we know, he'd shield her from certain things. However, she is an independent free-thinking person and her observation though abrasively accurate is no less real. Jeremy loves with the head not the heart where Aelita loves with the heart and not the head. It's a nice little counterbalance that humanizes both and without each other, they would be genuinely devastated and without purpose or function. Sugarcoating: She is saving Jeremy to fight back against this new threat in an effort to save the world from a new evil."

Yumi smiled a bit and chuckled, "So harsh on them, aren't you? Okay, Monsieur Logic, what would you do, if I were obliterated in a similar fashion as Jeremy and you had the power to turn back time to literally undo it?"

Ulrich was silent for a good while and had a legitimate look of contemplation on his face. Two minutes went by, then four then six.

"You're kidding, right?" Yumi said after the tenth minute.

Ulrich chuckled, "Look I get it, I know why she did as she did. But my fear is they only brought us back a couple of times because well we were so close to our mission objective of doing away with XANA and I'm sorry Yumi that's just the naked truth."

Yumi got up and lay down beside him, "I understand, but still you have to bear in mind what all we've been through, and besides, both you and Odd were going a bit crazy with no XANA and now well, surprise, new spectrum to deal with."

"It's not as simple as that, but sure, new spectrum to deal with. Anyway, the good news is we know of a solid way to get out and around. We figured it out, and now we can get out when we need to. But that said, there's something new in the supercomputer, and honestly, I'm curious as to how it will impact things. Seriously, it is a legitimate concern."

"I was there, too, you know?" Yumi said, "You act I was in a parallel dimension or something."

"Aligned yet never touching or intersecting. Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Sissi's brain?" Yumi asked.

"That's it." He said with a chuckle, "But seriously we should lay off on her. she's been helping us with breaching the security."

"At what cost, though?" Yumi asked.

"It's manageable." Ulrich replied as he got off her bed, "Gotta' head back; we have fifteen minutes."

Yumi nodded, "Good luck."

"Easy for you to say you don't have to face super-douche."

"Who?" Yumi asked.

"Barrow, the dickweed who put this whole security nightmare square in our laps. The best part, though, we have keys to the dungeon." Ulrich said, "Ciao."

Ulrich headed back downstairs and accompanied Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita back to Kadic. They had cut it just a bit close, but they knew very well what to do. It was the eastern side which had been yanked and so follow the same procedure as before, up the fire-escape to the shower rooms. They made their way to the shower windows, which were still open, and so each made it through to their respective shower room. Their robes, however, were gone which they had left in select stalls.

Ulrich held off Odd and Jeremy and peered outside. A different guard was in place at the hall then was when they left, and so they were good. He motioned to Odd and Jeremy to wait five minutes between them, and he went out first and headed back to his and Odd's room. In time, Odd and Jeremy made it back their rooms and closed their doors.

As Jeremy closed his door, he sat down. For the first time, the return to the past had been used on him personally. He didn't say to any of the others what he had felt or seen in his time of death. Only that he was over his own body watching Aelita sob as the voice made its statements. He could see and hear everything, and as desperately as he tried to yell at the top of his lungs, none could hear him. Then with the flash of light and Aelita's agonized cry to return to the past, he was back in his body. It was different being put back into one's body. It felt as if it was a warm buzzing followed by a gentle headache but nothing else.

Soon, he could hear his doorknob jiggle and then heard a knock at the door, "Jeremy," Aelita's voice came through, "It's me, can we talk?"

Jeremy opened up the door, and Aelita came inside and sat on his bed, "Tell me, Jeremy, how are you feeling? Be honest, please."

Jeremy could see in her eyes she was still visibly shaken. Could he blame her? Of course not, and so he sat next to her, "I'm fine. The only thing to show is a frayed shirt sleeve. But thanks to you, I'm just fine."

Aelita took his head in her hands, and she gently kissed him, "You scared me so very much. What did you see? What was it like to die?"

Jeremy looked at her and took off his glasses, "There are feelings and sensations I would not describe to you because of how they would impact you. I don't wish to scare you or harm you. Therefore I will tell you nothing. Suffice, to say, I'll never let it happen to you."

Aelita nodded and said, "But tell me something, please."

"What is it?"

"What did you think of the voice who spoke to us from the computer?"

Jeremy was silent a moment and said, "It's a force that is far smarter than we could ever think of. I saw the decisions it gave you, only two and one nullified the other. This is not just a test of raw will. As you said, it is a test of morals and ethics to the very highest degrees."

"But why, Jeremy? Aelita asked.

"I honestly don't know, and I can't be sure, even if I were to give it my best guess."

"What is your best guess?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy was silent as he dreaded saying what was on his mind. He was going to say what he felt, but he knew better and so held his tongue, opting to say instead, "I'm not entirely sure. I—I just don't know. It's too early yet."

Aelita nodded and, for a moment, was silent. She knew there was much on Jeremy's mind, and especially given the recent events, she didn't want to push him. The effects of being restored to life were one thing she couldn't nullify as she and Jeremy had been able to do in times past. It was sub-routine that had been programmed into the computer but rather foolishly, in their zeal, the team had not thought to gut the super-computer of excess programs. But even more so, it was a mistake that was so easily avoidable. As she thought about all of these things, she looked out the window.

"I'm just so glad you're back," Aelita said as she firmly held his hand.

Jeremy nodded, "I'm glad to be back, Aelita. But now we must be careful. You saw for yourself the aspects of choices we have at our liberty to do also choices of what not to do."

Aelita looked at him intensely, "Do you truly think that they have tailored the return to the past to serve their purposes?"

Jeremy nodded and stood, "It's definitely not out of the realm of reason given what happened tonight. Part of me thinks that what they are doing is allowing us to have a say in what happens with a return to the past. However, the extent of that say hinges on their agenda at the end of the day."

"So, in your mind, they are only tolerating us? I think is the right phrasing?"

"Until we prove too much a thorn in their side, yes."

"But, Jeremy, what purpose could that serve? Us having a form of say?"

Jeremy looked outside at the full moon and said, "I honestly don't know. It's something I'm hoping that your mother could help us with. If they are truly a defense and sustenance program as she told you it was, I don't think harm to people is what it desires. However, we—_you_ need to talk with her."

Aelita went from looking at Jeremy to the wall as her stare focused on a small black speck. What Jeremy was asking was assuredly the very last thing that she wanted to do. Aelita wanted to talk to her mother, sure, but at the same time, it was for an entirely different purpose. After all, her mother had approached her first, and she knew the search for her car had been finished. But how to go about asking her mother what she needed to, Aelita wasn't exactly sure on. Aelita got up from the bed and went over to Jeremy's desk. The license plate had been narrowed down to an address on the outer reaches of the city. In a small, almost country house from what Aelita could tell from looking up the address via satellite. Aelita then looked again at Jeremy. Personally, she knew very well what was going on; she knew contact with Anthea was direly needed in this regard. However, despite her uncertainty and even her reservations, Aelita knew that like it or not, Anthea was her only real shot at getting an idea of what was going on with this program.

Aelita said, "I'll arrange a meeting with her on campus. That way, we can be sure she won't try anything."

Jeremy replied, "Alright, that's good. We'll be in ear-shot, and I'll be with you when you set it up."

Aelita went up to Jeremy one last time and embraced him tightly, "I'll see you in the morning."

Jeremy returned her embrace, and, in his heart, Jeremy knew just how much this night had frightened her. He knew it very well that despite the power of being able to bring him back, it didn't mean the loss to her was any less real. "Thank you. I love you too, Aelita."

Aelita released him from her embrace and headed back to her room. Once inside, she got out her cellphone and made the call. The phone rang for five repetitions, and finally, there was an answer.

"_Hello?"_ Anthea asked, albeit a touch groggy.

Aelita was silent for a moment and said, "Hello, Mother. I need to speak with you about the project you began to tell me about a few days ago."

"_Aelita? How—how did you get this number?"_

"I could bore you with the details, but half of me already thinks you know how I did so."

There was a wry chuckle on the other end, "_Alright. What do you want to know?" _

"I need you to meet with me on school grounds, and there we can discuss this to your heart's content."

"_It's on your insistence, so very well. I'll be there at 11:45. Where would you prefer on campus to meet?"_

"There's an open courtyard on the western portion of the grounds. I'll talk with Jean-Pierre and ensure you can come in, due to these security checks."

"_Naturally. Alright, Very Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."_

Anthea hung up the phone, and Aelita closed her phone. As she lay down on her bed, she heard a very soft thump near the neighboring wall. It was soft but assuredly quite regular. She was about to get up and investigate, but as soon as she did, the thumping had subsided. Aelita had listened just a bit longer, not a sound anywhere. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Just as soon as she had begun to drift off the sleep, she heard the soft dull thumping in a soft tempo and then gradually building, crescendo being met within two minutes and then silence again. She got up, put on her slippers and with her hand on the door, waited for the thumping to begin again. Two minutes passed, four, then eight. Then once more, the gentle regular thumping was heard once more.

Aelita opened her door and listened to the thumping and found it to be coming from just across the hall in Sissi's room. Aelita went over to the door and listened, and she could hear it, gently a thud with a moan or a gentle squeal. However, wanting to get a good night's sleep far outweighed in Aelita's mind anyone's carnal needs. So, she banged twice on the door and then sprinted back across the door just as a very audible exclamation of Fuck was heard and Aelita gently closed her door, latching it just in time as she could hear the hinges on Sissi's door squeak signifying a violent opening. Aelita by now was lying in her bed and then she heard the door close. However, what was more jarring than the act itself, was Aelita's perception of the exclamation on the other side of the door, it was a voice all too familiar, that of Ulrich Stern.

Aelita went to sleep as best she could now a myriad of questions formulating in her brain. She knew it was Ulrich, that couldn't be covered up now. What was worse is that to Aelita, this seemed to be a full-fledged betrayal of Yumi. Why was this happening at all? Aelita knew that Ulrich had gotten a bit lonely since Yumi's departure for her own school, but to take such a remedy for loneliness to this extreme felt a more than a bit much. This thought interwoven with what happened tonight drove her mind to the point of much-desired sleep. Aelita had her questions, but she couldn't sort them all out now. She needed rest and this was what she sought desperately now. Unable to sleep, she retrieved her bracelet which had a massive playlist stored in its memory and she plugged in her headphones and began to listen to the soothing sounds of Handel.

As she began to dream, her mind took her to her personal realm of reflection. She dreamed about when she had first come to Kadic as she recollected her observances to Jeremy and the rest of the Lyoko warriors about the cruelty she had observed in the world. She remembered that even though XANA existed, that she felt safe even happy in the digital womb of Lyoko, discovering what there was through the data repositories her father had downloaded. But equally in reflecting on this Aelita felt sad. The reason for this could have been many things but chiefly, it was a realization of the harshness of the world around her. There were times she revisited the thought that was playing out before her. The thought that if you couldn't fix through reason and care a lot of these maladies, why not just stop many of the major events why not root out the problem at the source? As she dreamed, Aelita's ideas of old began to germinate and grow once more. She desired to end a lot of it if not all, the injustices man and woman did to each other. But she knew the method she once had at her disposal was not so anymore.

"_But wait," _her voice said aloud, "_what if there was?"_

Aelita looked around herself gone were the flashes of memory and her solutions, replaced now by darkness. The voice continued.

"_The method is not gone from you, merely your old actions of using the method. I know what you want, I know what you feel. You've buried this deep inside of you for the better part of two years. I know your pain, and I want to help you." _

Aelita put her guard up against the voice, "Who are you?! Where are you?"

"_Aelita," _the voice said patiently and gently, "_are you really so quick to destroy a part of yourself without listening to the reasoning of why you feel as you do?" _

"You say you can fix a lot of what I see as our problems—show me what you mean!"

At that moment, Aelita smelled the scent of static charge, and then she was shown her answer. Rolling hills of green. Houses of stucco were upon the hills their roofs of emerald and black per portion of land. The people were seen going to and fro gathering, planting, creating, dismantling and repurposing. The people were happy; the sun was bright and warm; there was order, structure, and peace.

The voice spoke again, "_Aelita, this is but one of the things we can achieve together if you spend but a moment of time with me and listen to what I have to say." _

Aelita spoke after a moment, "At what cost?"

"_A cost that you can assuredly live with." _Was the reply.

In the morning, Aelita awoke refreshed and rejuvenated. Her dream was a blend of wonderful and the most expressive form of a dream she had ever had up to that point. However, she remembered today what was to happen, a meeting with her mother at lunchtime, and so she showered, got dressed, and headed down to Delmas' office before breakfast. Aelita spoke to Nicole, who allowed her to enter Jean-Pierre's office, citing that Jean-Pierre would be back in five minutes. Aelita sat in the chair opposite Jean-Pierre's desk and looked around. It seemed there had been a few changes to the office. It had seemingly been expanded with a large black almost glossy door standing to the right of her which was locked by keypad. It was something that Aelita knew must have come to be in just a day or two. There was no way of looking through as to what was inside; it was just a black murky glass-like surface. She looked around and noticed the traditional filing cabinets had disappeared as well as a couple of his bookshelves.

At that moment, Jean-Pierre entered and said, "Ah, Ms. Stones, good to see you." He went around to his chair and sat down with his cup of coffee, "How may I help you today?"

Aelita replied, "I'd like to arrange a meeting with my mother for lunch around 11:45 in the courtyard if that's okay?"

Jean-Pierre made a few notes and said, "Of course, I see no issue. Oh, may I ask, how have you been feeling? I spoke to our nurse Dorothy, and she told me that she ran into you a couple of days ago, and you were very upset. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just had an off day that day. Some things were just—well, not quite right. I wasn't feeling well then, and it gradually piled into being a bit much."

"I understand, Aelita. Please know that should you need anything; Dr. Klotz is available for counseling." Jean-Pierre said as he tore off a slip of paper, "Your mother will be slated for allowance of arrival at 11:45. Present this to your teacher at the time in case she arrives early."

Aelita took the piece of paper, folded it, and put it into her jacket pocket. She got up and said, "Thank you, Mons. Delmas. I'll see you around, I suppose."

Jean-Pierre smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss. Stones. See you around."

As Aelita went off to meet with Jeremy, Odd, and Ulrich in the recreation room, Jean-Pierre went to the black mirrored door, and he punched in the code to his keypad. The door opened, and inside, a young man with dirty-blonde hair and a beard was working oh hooking up an in-depth monitoring system as well as running several system diagnostics.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Jean-Pierre said, "I greatly appreciate your promptness."

"Oh, no worries. Mr. Barrow said that there were some elements of the kinks that still needed to be worked out, even after having them broken in. If ever you feel something is not quite right with our systems, don't hesitate to call on the card I have given you. I'm free most days anyhow."

"Please, Mr., I'm sorry I've forgotten your name," Jean-Pierre said.

"Emilio, Sir. Emilio Velasquez." The man replied as he was making some system checks.

"Yes, Emilio. Um, what exactly are the kinks that are being fixed?"

"The fixes are in response to a few breaches that we have seen. Particularly one that happened last night along the eastern end of the campus. Everything inexplicably went dark and was on standby for at least two hours. We double-checked the administration keys, and we believe that you, Mr. Delmas, have been hacked. Meaning your keys were used last night without your permission. So, we are undertaking a secondary security precaution to assign a second verification to be doubly sure of initiated actions that may be suspect.

Jean-Pierre's eyes went wide, "I see, and where was the initiation launched from if they used my key?"

"It was launched from your desk computer behind you. We have, as a result, to be assured of Kadic's safety designed this small sub-lab so you can have an on-call technician to oversee and report hiccups in the system. Also, is there anyone who comes to mind who you can trust with the second key to Kadic's security oversight?"

"Yes, I do. Jim Morales."

"Excellent. When you see him, please give him this card." Jean-Pierre was handed a black card with a gold seal of a Pyramid. "Then, have Jim report to me to be officially designated as your second to the system."

Jean-Pierre nodded and said, "I'll simply call him here, as opposed to looking for him."

Meanwhile, Aelita had met up with Ulrich, Jeremy, and Odd in the recreation room, and while Jeremy and Odd were playing a few rounds of foosball, Aelita was looking at Ulrich with a slight degree of suspicion. As Odd scored his first point, he gave a small cheer.

"Gotta' be faster, Jeremy old buddy. Come on, and it's all about reaction time." Odd said, "And remember, no spinning. Anyone can blitz the ball, but the true skill comes from patience and control."

Jeremy sighed as he worked the foosball rollers, choosing when best for sudden rotations. It was not exactly his favorite sport, but it was something he could attempt to enjoy and, in time, hopefully, master.

Aelita was silent as she observed this demonstration of sport because while foosball was enjoyable to watch, she knew if there was one thing, Odd was the slightest touch anal about it was this game. However, as she watched Jeremy, he showed more than capable aptitude for the game. Personally, she loved Foosball, but to play with Odd took a bit of patience. It was as Ulrich had said on several occasions, where someone like his father was beyond finicky with rules of more established sports like cards, Odd was just as fussy when it came to the "decorum of rollers."

As Jeremy was showing marked progress under Odd's tutelage, Aelita saw Sissi enter with Herve and Nicholas. She saw Sissi wave at Ulrich, not as obnoxiously as she once did, and she saw that Ulrich, in turn, responded with a wave that wasn't near as icy. She was aware that Ulrich had told Sissi that the team had truly begun to see her as a friend. But to Aelita, she was beginning to realize the double-meaning of this aspect of choice words. Just as this realization was dawning, she came to very much understand what Jeremy doubtless would call the duplicity of the whole affair.

Aelita went over to Ulrich, "A word in private, please."

Ulrich followed her to a farther off potion away from Jeremy and Odd, "What is it?"

Aelita looked at him, "I know what you did last night, Ulrich. You can deny it all you want, but I know what you've done."

Ulrich arched an eyebrow, "And what exactly would that be?"

"Oh, nothing much. Save for ending your fuck session with Sissi. Sound familiar?"

Ulrich's eyes went wide, and he looked around to make sure none were listening, "That was you?"

"You seem to forget that Sissi and my room are adjacent to each other. Just answer me this, is this the payment of which you spoke so carefully and yet so glibly?"

Ulrich said, "Look, to get past this new element of security, I had to take select risks to just get us outside. If that means to fuck her brains out, Princess, then so be it. Besides, you yourself are not ignorant of such activities."

"Be that as it may, what would Yumi think? Honestly, Ulrich?"

"I personally believe she'd be more than understanding given our extenuating circumstances."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, Princess, seriously. I mean, think about it. All we've done with XANA dogging our heels, and you're shocked at this little sacrifice of dignity or some such nonsense?"

"Ulrich, it's the damned principle, okay? It's called faithfulness."

"Yeah, maybe in your fairytale dreamland, not in reality. My parents cheat on each other all the time; each swears me to secrecy for their own piece of mind. So yeah, I get a very good picture of the average relationship all around. The average relationship's a pile if nightmarish dreck. So, Princess, don't lecture me on faithfulness. What mattered at the time was to secure us a means to get out of this hell hole of a prison that has been secured. _That _is what matters."

Aelita was silent a moment and then said, "I just hope your dedication to the mission in this regard doesn't blow up in your face."

Aelita returned to the foosball table where Odd was up by five to Jeremy's three. Odd was patient in teaching Jeremy the sport, and over time, Jeremy was more attentive to the positions and timing of his blocking. Admittedly it was a game that Jeremy was growing more and more to enjoy with enough practice, and it also helped that Odd never pulled his punches when it came to the game.

"You're improving, Einstein, now focus." Odd said, "It's all in the power of the wrist turn the proper wrist turn can give the same amount of precision as a full spin of the rods."

Jeremy took note and performed better portion by portion as every moved showed a marked increase, the points steadily climbing.

As Odd and Jeremy continued to play, Sissi came over to Ulrich and took him aside for a private conversation.

Ulrich once separate from the group, "What is it?"

"Don't be so snide, Ulrich. Heidi Klinger told me that daddy is putting in a new verification. Last night someone took note of the two-hour gap, and it was just the system being down either."

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked.

"The guards who stood on sentry were watching all of you, and they saw you go in at a certain time and not come out until much later. It doesn't help. They did a search of the shower rooms. They also checked your rooms. Daddy is in a state right now, and Jim is sworn in as his second verification code."

Ulrich's eyes went wide, "Are you fucking kidding me?" He said in a hushed tone, "Fuck. Do you have an idea of how we can get around it? What did Heidi report to you?"

"Only what she could pick up working for Miss Nicole. Jim had a specialized card that he carries in his wallet, and that keycard is the second verification. And to make sure he's not bushwhacked, he's asked for an electronic lock mechanism on his door to safeguard the key."

"Great, so our solution is to get him when he's at his most vulnerable and lift his wallet. Do you know of any spare key cards made?"

"Not yet. I'll let you know as soon as I can find out something. I can also ask Herve to do me a few favors to breach the system if you need more direct data to apply to the system."

"Great. That's good. Keep your eyes open, which we're going to have to figure out how to get around the guards if possible." Ulrich looked at the group and at Aelita, who was watching with a sideways glance, "Look, we'll continue this later, okay? Ciao for now."

Ulrich went over to the group and said, "Guys, we gotta' talk. We're in a jam."

Odd looked at him before returning to foosball, "About what exactly?"

"The screws knew we were missing, Odd," Ulrich replied.

Odd stopped playing immediately, "What did you say?" a look of worry on his face.

"The screws knew we were missing. Apparently, the guards took note of when we entered the showers, searched the showers after a moment, and then our rooms to confirm we were gone." Ulrich said.

Jeremy then looked at him, "Wait. If that's the case, then why not have us into the office to wring our necks?"

"Because, according to Heidi, who was helping Nicole just outside Delmas' office, they were patching up the breaches in the wall. I'm betting to anticipate tighter security on Delmas' part."

"How did they know about the eastern breach?" Aelita asked.

"I'd bet money they had someone checking out the system as an independent monitor for the company." Jeremy said, "If the program is still relatively new and we are the guinea pigs as I'm truly beginning to think, then they're ironing out the kinks with us."

"So, in a unique way, they want us to test them? They see this as perfecting a product, don't they?" Aelita asked.

"That's exactly it." Jeremy said, "They encourage this kind of behavior by restraint through Delmas knowing to watch us four. But what if it proved that it wasn't just us four, they had to watch?"

"So what? Have the whole school turn on the system?" Ulrich asked.

"Exactly. If we can cause enough of a reasonable complaint from the student body, we can have the system thrown out in due time."

"Good logic, Jeremy." Aelita said, "However it doesn't address the element that a lot of students aren't as inhibited as we are when it comes to liberties. The rights of the student are largely as they were, with the only inconvenience being the checking in and out of areas. This is doubtless something Delmas will bring up should we decide to push the envelope."

Jeremy sighed, "What would you propose, Aelita? Because we've tried our usual method, and we know where that landed us."

Aelita leaned against the stage and said, "Simple. Work with the new entity in the supercomputer to get back what we lost."

The group looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Jeremy wiped his glasses, "Come again?"

"Did I stutter? Work with the new entity in the supercomputer to get back what we lost." Aelita said as she checked her nails.

Odd looked at her, "Are you insane?"

"Hardly. I think of it like this. If the supercomputer can be taken from us and repurposed in no time at all, it tells me the voice which gave us our little ultimatum last night knows already the return to the past. It's going to do what it wants regardless of our say in the matter. It only is a matter of time until our relevance or lack thereof is shown to the program, and then from our actions or lack thereof, we either be used well or nullified from the equation. The only reason that it didn't want us destroyed at once was to give us time to consider working alongside it instead of against it."

"You can't seriously believe that, can you?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't see why it's so unfeasible. When you brought me to this world, I watched, listened, observed, understood though painfully the lessons of your world and your exitance. Do you have any idea how many times I longed to return to the supercomputer and remake the world without many of the problems that you all face daily? You're my friends, and I love you for being there for me, which is why many times I considered preserving you and allowing you to observe the changes I could give to the world through alterations and even nullifications of select events in history. What I have proposed is no more far-fetched than what the operators of the program if it has operators see."

Jeremy looked at Aelita, "So if I understand this right if you can't beat them, join them to see if you can secure a better future by remaking the world piece by piece?"

"Remake? No. I used to think so, but no. Rather start from a base as we have and progress forward into the future." Aelita said.

Odd looked at her, his arms crossed as he said, "What lead you to this conclusion?"

"Simple deduction. The only reason why this entity has not done away with us is that it wants to utilize our assets. It knows we destroyed XANA as a team, and it knows the effectiveness of our team is given a streamlined focus. So, Devil's Advocate, why destroy such a well-functioning unit of people if one can easily find a new use for them down the line?"

Jeremy sighed, "What also keeps that same force for nullifying us from the equation once our purpose is served?"

Aelita looked at him and answered, "Nothing, really."

Jeremy said, "I understand what you're likely thinking, Aelita. At the same time, be very careful of who you take into your circle of confidence."

At that moment, the tone sounded, and Odd said, "Come on, we'll figure this out after breakfast."

The group headed to the cafeteria while Aelita heard a gentle whisper in her head the voice from her dream, "_Be careful who you take into your circle of confidence. Easy talk for one who took an immense gamble for the sake of fulfilling his loneliness, wouldn't you say?" _

Aelita stopped in her steps for just a moment. She was about to utter a retort, but the voice replied, "_I know. I know, Aelita. Head along to breakfast. You have a big day ahead of you."_


	18. Chapter 18

_**AN: This is the last chapter for the month of December that I will post. I thank you all very much for your continued support, as it means so very much to me. Please as always, read, review, and enjoy.**_

_**Pagliacci-11 **_

Chapter 18

As lunchtime approached, Aelita was thinking more on what the voice of her dreams and now softly speaking in her head had told her and shown her in terms of how to better many of the problems Aelita had come to see as the problems of the world. Aelita greatly loved the aspects of what she had been shown in her dream, the discussion she had with the voice and it was if anything, soothing to hear that there was a voice that not only could reciprocate her thoughts but also intelligently debate with her.

Throughout the course of her dream, she had asked the voice many questions of just how the voice's vision for a new order was to come about while not running into the same pitfalls as many others had in trying to establish true order, unity, and peace to a land. The voice was calm, and the voice was patient as it explained that much of the elements that it had in mind for the world were all based on the simple premise of choice for the people that would be impacted. In a unique way, the voice prioritized need over wants of the people as it realized often what people wanted wasn't all the time what they needed, and the opposite was true in that what they needed they did not often want. However, it wasn't so much that people didn't want it as opposed; they didn't want the birthing pains, so to speak that went along with progress and betterment of society and indeed themselves.

Aelita asked further what the voice meant and it explained, "Simply put, you have countless regimes that rise and fall, the new regime in time becomes corrupt as it tasted the sweet nectar of power that the former regime had in , own holding of the reigns so to speak. The new order that rises as much as it needed the people to be its army, the reality was that those who sought the utmost position for themselves wished to have no voice that could contradict them. The people were but a means to an end, that is all."

Aelita then asked, "What keeps you from becoming as much a tyrant as those who came before?"

The voice replied, "I have a team, much as you do to help ground me. No man or woman can guide groups of people all by themselves. They need hands with which to reach, the second set of eyes with which to see and perhaps catch what the first set of eyes cannot. To guide others and, in time, govern others through sheer will alone is an impossible thing. You had Josef Stalin who aspired to run his nation to the nth degree, but he trusted no one because he desired to trust no one. In the end, how does he die? Choking on his own blood."

"So, your team maintains you?" Aelita asked.

"Correct. They all have the ability to stop me entirely if they so choose, and I have the ability to do the same to them but it is a system of good-faith and deliverance on promises that makes us strong, teaching all of us, even more, the strength of the internal team and co-reliance. These things are known to you because it is what powered you through to defeat XANA"

"And you," Aelita said, "You are the essence in the supercomputer? You are the new force living within it?"

"Correct. I do not wish to destroy you or your team. Merely to extend to you the ability to change the world for the better to influence it in key events and make use of your phenomenal work together to better our shared future."

"Why do you wish to help us?" Aelita asked.

"Because time and time again, we have seen countless individuals never mind groups that were overlooked; their potential completely unrecognized by those who should have paid attention. And those who didn't pay attention were consumed by the very element the overlooked saw coming miles away. It is to give you a chance to be ahead of the curve."

As Aelita reflected on her dream, she was wondering just how to proceed with the aspect of Anthea coming to discuss the second project with the scientific team that her father had worked alongside. As much as she wanted to trust the voice in the supercomputer, she knew inherently the dangers of trusting something a face-value alone.

At that moment, the tone for lunch rang and Aelita once having her tray headed out to the courtyard. Her mother was already sitting at the main table and so Aelita went over to her and sat across from her.

Anthea looked at her watch and said, "Good, you're prompt." She gave a sandwich to Aelita wrapped in foil.

Aelita took the sandwich and unwrapped it. It was her favorite smoked turkey with gouda and tomato.

"Thank you." She said as she began to eat.

Anthea brought up her briefcase and said, "So, where do you wish to start?" as she snapped open the latches.

Aelita looked at her mother, "Alright, straight to business then. What is this program that's shown up?"

Anthea took out a medium-sized spiral laminated book and she said, "Read this. It's about a project called _North-Gate Initiative. _It's a program that was designed alongside XANA and Lyoko to counter both as well as affect the world on a variety of scales. Whatever you do, don't let anyone put this initiative into digital format. It's been flagged so if it's launched into a digital format; the government will come down on this place like you wouldn't believe."

Aelita looked at the book, and as she read, the layout was very simple and so she closed it, "Okay, this hard-copy only. Got it. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Read the book I gave you first and take some time to digest it. There is a lot inside that needs to be taken piece by piece. Besides, we have a plan in place to stop this aspect of surveillance on the school so you can have back what is properly yours, to begin with."

As Aelita heard these words, she pondered deep within her so many questions. If this system was genuinely trying to help to shape the world into a better place, why was the operator of it testing her and her friends by enacting security, allowing them to break it, and enact steeper security again? It was clear it was for a course of action, but what was its main goal? What was this program trying to prove?

Not knowing quite how to ask Aelita just spoke bluntly, "Look, I don't have a shred of inkling or clue how any of this stuff works. But what I want to know is, did this system this whole thing, did it develop self-awareness as XANA did?"

Anthea shook her head, "No. it was shut down before it could get to that phase as we saw the damage that XANA posed when given self-awareness. Our greatest fear was that one program would engulf the other and use the newly acquired resources to finish its own objective. You see, XANA was designed to eliminate the enemies that rose out of Project Carthage. However, the program seeing how readily we eliminated each other separated itself from us and became its own free agent. Where XANA was a program that desired conquest, North-Gate was designed to reestablish many elements of society in the wake of a form of cataclysmic disaster. Where XANA was our sword, North-Gate was the design by which it would function as a heart and mind to guide people back from the brink of decimation."

"I see," Aelita said, "So one is the arm, the other is the heart and mind to form a being capable of guiding and equally protecting the world, but XANA more or less says, 'Fuck you guys I'll conquer you on my own.'" Aelita said.

"Exactly. See, XANA learned from its mistakes. But it wasn't brilliant—it was an adaptive program. As you and your family saw, it started out small striking first at the basic human level of personal connection as what happened when it commandeered the radio waves through music to take as many of you out as possible. It learned possession of individual people and through possession, eventually gained what I could call a surface-level human façade."

"I noticed that. His doppelgangers and clones became more sophisticated. He was able to blend in if you will all the better."

"Exactly, Aelita. The program was a chameleon of sorts. Yet, like a machine, while the program was able to emulate aspects of personalities, it took practice to do so more convincingly. From his storage through interaction with you, your team, your school, he derived his own form of personality almost as if having an avatar here on earth with which to do his will."

"You've watched us long enough, Mother. Did you know about William?"

"Mr. Dunbar, we only came to know after one of our sources reported on his sudden reappearance at Kadic. We came to know of his full-scale involvement and indeed near-permanent possession by XANA A more curious question would be, how did XANA adapt using William?"

"He turned him into a near-pristine soldier. An avatar on Lyoko as you just said. Much like having a general at your behest who executes your will. He was a fearsome opponent in this form."

"It makes sense. XANA was cultured from the military, and it was from the military; it achieved its sentience. So, it makes sense that the program was so violent and so willing to fight."

"But it wasn't a perfect program, Mother. XANA showed several times his own degree of error. He adapted time and time again in which we would have to adapt. Whatever you guys made and the effort you put into him, it showed. It was remarkable in the countless forms of attempts it used to destroy us. But what of North-Gate? What was its main design, and who designed it?"

Anthea took out a small notebook and gave it to Aelita, "There you are. It contains all notes detailing who the designers were and its purpose. But I will give a synopsis here if you like."

Aelita nodded, "Please."

"North-Gate was designed to guide humanity in the wake of a major catastrophe. As I said before and as you deduced, XANA was the arm and North-Gate was the heart and mind. Lyoko was the staging ground if you will for North-Gate to enact and test its initiatives. While it was active during the time you were combating XANA, you will notice much of the atmospheres of the sectors were active both in temperatures and topography."

"So, the sectors were the test facilities to see what exactly?"

"They were designed to see how various irrigation, agricultural, environmental, as well as sustenance of life, in general, could be handled by the project in a semi-autonomous state to see if it could adequately care for people under its directives. We saw the good the XANA could do and from that, we wanted to test to see if the heart and mind of a protection protocol would act in the societal safeguarding of people. Thus, the program would be tested to see if it would materialize clothing, transit across the sectors, reallocation of sector forces into raw energy output, the transit of groups of people en-mass as well as natural safeguards to sectors of productivity."

"Oh, I see now," Aelita said, "So, North-Gate was the benevolent and well-meaning caretaker. But as you said, when things got a bit hairy, likely as a result of Carthage, and XANA showed its sentience, North Gate was shut down?"

"Yes. We couldn't take the risk of one project being consumed by the other. We knew North-Gate had more than enough teeth and computing logic to outdo XANA but the possible future of the program nullifying XANA and using its military applications in its own way; we didn't want to risk. That's why your father put you into Lyoko with half the keys to Lyoko. The towers were not just focusing points of energy and computation. They also served as North-Gate's if you will eye in the sky; it was the overseeing platform originally for each sector before XANA corrupted them and repurposed them for clones and the like."

"And so, is that why we couldn't find North-Gate or any semblance of it? Was it because it was shut down and probably not integrated?"

"Very likely, yes. I'm sure if you dug deep enough, you could find some bones from it but nothing substantial. Besides, with your supercomputer gone, I don't know how we'd sort this stuff out now."

Aelita wanted to correct her mother, but instead, she asked, "How did you know the supercomputer was gone?"

Anthea sighed, "Because I didn't like how our last meeting turned out. And besides, I saw it as a two-for-one. If I could undo the recent few days and have time to meet you in an essence that was more proper, a lot of this would not be."

"So, you do care?" Aelita asked, "You do care about me?"

"Of course, I do. I just wanted a second chance as well as a chance to undo a few things that were detrimental to a lot of people."

Aelita was touched. She knew her mother couldn't be as cold as she'd thought; however, another question popped into her mind, "Then why did you treat me so callously and why did you say there were minds beyond me and Jeremy now at play?"

"The first, because I know you're about twenty-four years old, and despite how you look, you have a very advanced understanding of the world due to your time in the supercomputer. I expected your maturity to match. I didn't anticipate you had very little memory of what happened leading up to your virtualization into the program. Second, is because for all the time the returns to the past were used even up the very last application, there was an energy reading that was surrounding not just France, not just Europe but it appeared more and more like a bit of fine solar-dust along the major fault lines. This dust seemed to outline all the plates on the globe and then on the day, the exact day X. A.N.A. was destroyed and the last recorded return to the past officiated, the dust lit up and then dispersed."

"Could it not have been XANA?" Aelita asked.

"No. this dust started to form about a year ago and steadily grew. As I correlated the return to the pasts with the dust, the progress of the dust grew and contracted by turns then finally with the last one, it retracted the dust one final time."

Anthea gave Aelita a DVD, "Use an independent television with DVD hookup and watch this. You'll see what I mean."

Aelita took the DVD and said, "Mother, why wait after all this time?"

Anthea was silent a moment and replied, "Because I knew it would take a lot of explaining and in a situation such as ours, it's not the easiest to explain, to begin with."

Aelita nodded, "Fair enough."

Aelita put the books and DVDs on her side of the table and she continued to have lunch with Anthea. Did she trust her? Not entirely but deep in her heart, she genuinely wanted to. Aelita was torn between wanting to forgive and also knowing the nature of what her mother had anticipated. Was it achievable? Not exactly. But Aelita knew she at least wanted to try and mend the dyke. Her mother had proven useful thus far. But could she prove trustworthy and above all needed in the end? It was too early to tell. So, for now, Aelita sat with Anthea and had her sandwich while the rest of the Lyoko group watched from afar.

"What do you think, guys?" Odd asked.

"I think we have a lot of research to read up on," Ulrich replied. "Ah, well, there are worse things to do on the weekend."

Jeremy nodded, "I just hope this whole thing works out in the end. What did you think of what Aelita said before? Allying with the voice in the supercomputer?"

Odd replied, "I think it's something she's genuinely considering. Or she's just expressing some things that she's always felt. Either way, her views are not invalid—just different."

"Different how?" Ulrich asked, "As far as I can see, Aelita just wants as the rest of us, a way back to what we had. I can't blame her. Can either of you?"

Jeremy and Odd shook their heads. "At any rate, we will have something new to occupy our time," Jeremy said. "But don't worry. I'll talk to her more this evening."

Soon the tone for lunch dismissal sounded, and Anthea packed her briefcase and Aelita gave her a small hug before she left. As she approached the rest of the team, Aelita said, "We have all we need. We'll start reading tonight. Come on, let's go enjoy our weekend, what we can of it."

Later that evening, Johnathan, Yolanda, Maria, and Hendricka were gathered at Emilio's new spot. The place had been marvelously cleaned up since Ernestine's mismanagement had been taken care of, and now it was a clean, classy, and elegant nightclub for the people of Paris. John was sitting with Maria listening to the singer while having a scotch. Hendricka and Yolanda were relaxing listening to the beautiful piano skills of the accompaniment and now the place was rich and flowing in money. Emilio was in a lavish backroom overseeing all avenues of the nightclub from the bars to the backdoor gambling parlors. It was a wonderful place for sport and relaxation.

John took a drink before saying to Maria, "This is great, Marie. Just like I always told you it would be. Good rolling scotch on tab, patrons as far as the eyes can see, prime cigars, and the best food this side of the city."

Maria rested with her head on his chest, "It is wonderful, Terry. Just a great place to relax and not worry about the missions for a bit, you know?"

John looked around, and he tapped into his implant, "Hey Emilio, how's the take looking?"

"_Great, Terry. We have 600,000 in one night for an average for the week. It's great. Tell Kaori to keep that hooch coming." _

"Great to hear, Emilio. How are those implants working for you?"

"_Oh, much better than we had last time. Great stuff. I can shuffle cards with the best of them, and I have full functionality. Amy's made great progress so far." _

"And more of that to come big-boy. You just enjoy yourself and remember to hand off the drops to the boys every four hours." John said.

John relaxed in his seat. He was the epitome of comfortable all the hard and long that he and the rest of the team had put into major elements like this really made the long nights worth it. The music had calmed down now to a mellow, smooth jazz feel, and those inside had begun to dance accordingly.

Maria asked, "How much are we pulling in on this shit, Terry?"

"Close to 75 grand an hour not counting the pots on the major gambling rooms. Besides, this is one evening hall of the hundreds we have in Europe, and that's not even touching the US."

"Whose idea was it to go for gasoline?" Maria asked.

"Oh, that was mine. We have our plants at major places and commercial junctions of many freeways in Europe and the US. Do you think this is big? You haven't even seen what gasoline gets us especially when capitalizing on the truckers of America."

Maria laughed, "Yeah. You always were one for maximum profit over expense. It's a lot easier with those markups, huh?"

"Like hell it is, you know that. Especially when buying fountain drinks, little toys for kids, all kinds of stuff."

As John and the rest of the group were relaxing, John got a message from Amy on the Implant, "_Anthea saw Aelita today. They exchanged information on North-Gate, and from what our surveillance can confirm, she has a plan to disassemble the fortress."_

John patched in, "What's the plan?"

"_To discredit you and bring down Amber and Reese and subsequently the system in play." _

Maria patched in, "How is this going to go down?"

Amy replied, "_I'm conducting a search of the mainframe to see what the plan could possibly be. However, John, you spoke to me about a plan you would implement should it get to this. Are you ready to act on it?" _

"Are the reinforcement ready as soon as it goes into effect?" John asked.

"_Ten units and of course your chosen," _Amy replied, "_It's not a major loss if we lose the security ordinance around Kadic. However, where do you want this to go down?" _

"I know Anthea's waiting for me." John said, "She's like a bulldog; she doesn't let go. So, what we'll do is we'll hand me over to her and then we'll initiate what I had set up. We have the tracking implant active, so we'll take care of it while Anthea guts _Amber and Reese. _Is everything set up forOperation PIN.?"

Amy replied, "_Affirmative. We have all units on standby for expedited extraction, but do you want to send a message or not?" _

"I'll let you know." John replied, "I'll either say Icarus flew too close to the sun for non-lethal or Mary's Little Lamb for Lethal."

"_Understood. We have any and all units standing by just in case." _Amy replied.

"Let me ask this, though, Amy," Yolanda said, "Is everything we needed to accomplish with the fortress concluded to the best of its ability?"

"_Ideally, we could have had pulled off what we needed to a bit longer. But what I needed to observe has been suitably documented as far as what we needed to know. Often in such cases, Yolanda, you win some, you lose some. This is but a setback that will be remedied with as much grace as possible." _

"Alright," John said, "Let's be done with this. Tomorrow I will go into Kadic and stay until Anthea feels she has her wolves lined up to pounce. Once they take me in, all of us are to go to Veil Protocol. All comms on me will be shut down, say for my physiological readings. Also, for this to be safer for the rest of us, I wish to activate Initiative C101."

Maria put her hand on his arm, "Are you sure?" she asked.

John nodded.

Amy then spoke, "_For C101 to enacted, I need vocal confirmation_. _What is the password?"_

John took a breath and said, "Cassius Dio."

"_Authorization Confirmed."_

John then said, "We'll head over at eight in the morning, and we'll continue our function at Kadic until I am taken. Yolanda, you must continue as if nothing has happened but as they take me, look at the plates of the vehicle in which they take me. Don't worry, we're ready for this, all of us. So, let's enjoy the rest of our night tonight."

The group nodded and ordered another round, and as everyone raised a glass in a toast, John was silent as he knew what was coming. He was ready for it mentally. But he knew that until faced with it, he wouldn't know what to anticipate.

"Incredible!" Jeremy said as he read over the notebook that Anthea had given Aelita, "It's absolutely incredible. So the whole Lyoko and XANA element are not singular opposing forces but what was supposed to work in tandem with a larger project that was never quite integrated into the system overall."

Aelita nodded, "So it would seem. I mean, had this North-Gate been implemented, it would have changed the entire outlier of XANA'S protocol. Instead of rebelling and trying to kill my father and myself, hypothetically, North-Gate could have helped my father succeed in reasoning with XANA"

Odd nodded, "That's amazing, and so what is the whole thing for then?"

Ulrich replied, "From what we've been going over, it seems that it was meant to bring humanity back from the brink. XANA was like your gruff military officer to instill order, North-Gate was meant to be the nurturer and teacher to XANA kinda' like balancing him out."

"So, wait a minute. You're telling me that XANA wasn't exactly the bad guy?" Odd asked in a state of near shock.

"No, Odd," Jeremy replied, "XANA was but a tool. A tool is not good or evil, but it depends on the user how it is seen. XANA gained self-awareness and seeing what we as people did to each other, figured to eradicate us using our own technology. It wasn't so much the fact XANA was evil; rather, it was the knowledge he attained and his solution to remedy the problem that made him evil."

Odd nodded, "It's kinda' like my dad says, 'Knowledge without wisdom is violently dangerous.'"

"Exactly." Aelita said, "From all the data we have here, it appears that North-Gate was that wisdom that XANA was missing."

"Worst case scenario, though, what did your mom say would happen if North-Gate would overcome XANA or vice-versa?"

"She didn't say specifically. But she did say those that the very real possibility of North-Gate overcoming XANA and repurposing his military tools was something they didn't want to dare test out." Aelita replied.

As Jeremy flipped through the book detailing North-Gate, he said, "There is something I want to know though. Aelita, what genuinely made you want to side with the entity in the supercomputer?"

Aelita looked at him as he turned around while Odd and Ulrich looked at her.

"Because—because the supercomputer can talk to me, alright, Jeremy?" Aelita replied.

"Ha-ha!" Odd said, jumping to his feet, "What'd I tell you, Einstein! The supercomputer can speak to us; it can send us messages."

Jeremy sighed and then said, "Seriously, Odd, this again?"

"Yes, this again." Odd said, "Ulrich and I had a dream the supercomputer was going to be taken by some ghoulish creatures, and what happened? A couple of days later, boom, the supercomputer is gutted and gone. Aelita when you were talking to the supercomputer or rather the voice inside it, were you dreaming?"

"Y-Yes." Aelita replied, "I had used my bracelet to start listening to the playlist that I had stored because I had trouble sleeping. The dream or rather the conversation I had with the voice happened during what I can only assume was sleep."

"What did it tell you?" Odd asked.

Aelita told them the conversations she had with the voice from the supercomputer, and after a moment, Jeremy said, "I see. So realistically based on what you've told me, North-Gate does have a form of sentience and if it is genuinely North-Gate, it's trying to use us to further its own initiative."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Odd said, "When Aelita has a dream about talking to a supercomputer, it's fine and dandy but when Ulrich and I have a dream, you're skeptical. Jeremy, I think there's something you need to say to us."

"What do I need to say?" Jeremy asked.

"You know very well what you need to say." Odd said with a smile, "Come on, let's hear it."

Jeremy sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Odd, Ulrich, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I dismissed your notions of the supercomputer talking to you telling you about nightmarish crypt keepers—"

"Ghouls!" Odd interrupted."

"_Ghouls," _Jeremy rephrased his sentence, "And making you think you were crazy, and your stances had no validity."

"Apology accepted, Jeremy old buddy. Now, what do we do about Aelita's voice from within the machine?"

"Honestly, we'd have to ask it a few questions. " Jeremy replied, "Firstly if it is North-Gate and secondly, we'd have to figure out just what it wants but to do that, we have to talk to it directly. Aelita, you said it came to you as you were dreaming and using your bracelet?"

"Yes, do you think North-Gate has something to do with it?"

"I wouldn't put it beyond a computer-system that has sentience. Remember, XANA had all kinds of nasty tricks to focus his will into more direct means."

"That's true." Aelita said, "And so what you're saying is that North-Gate is likely behind this whole lockdown of the school?"

"I wouldn't put it past it." Jeremy replied, "True, Aelita it may be benevolent. But what better way to get you to agree with its programming than to lock you into a place where you'd have no choice but to hear it?"

Odd said, "What I think we should do is force the program to talk to someone it's not familiar with."

The group looked at Odd, and Ulrich said, "Go on."

"Well, what if we had someone like Jeremy wear his bracelet and the rest of us took off our own bracelets to see if the machine contacts him tonight? That way, we can bounce the system's responses to Jeremy off Aelita's dream and see where the truth is in what it says and where the lies are."

"That has to be the dumbest idea—" Ulrich began.

"Actually, I think it's the only feasible plan we have if the system is truly tightened," Jeremy replied.

"My mother said that there is a plan in motion to get the security system out of the school's infrastructure. If we can wait until then—"

"Yes, but here's the issue." Jeremy said, "If this system is as I think it is based on your testimony Aelita, then I think the only sensible thing is to do this test tonight. If we don't show that we in some way trust it, it may go berserk on us. Remember how XANA turned the cafeteria into a human-oriented bug-zapper? Imagine with this North-Gate could do to us if we somehow showed we didn't trust it? Until we can be sure of a genuine aspect of trust, I think it best we try and establish contact in some form with the program."

Odd and Ulrich nodded.

"Aelita," Odd said, "Didn't you say the system had a team that worked with it? One that balanced it out and the system, in turn, balanced the team out?"

"If you can, call it that, yes. It's a system of mutually assured destruction but also favors done for each other to ensure loyalty to a degree."

Ulrich nodded, "A contingency plan that goes both ways. So the program from what you say has a form of self-destruct mechanism."

There was a silence for a time then Jeremy said, "I think the best way is to test it. And as Odd said, sort truth from deception. Aelita, what was the music you listened to as you slept? I think if we can recreate the stimuli, we can get a response."

"Handel's _Scherza, Infidia_ by Phillipe Jaroussky," Aelita said.

"Nice song," Odd replied.

"Thank you. It helps me sleep."

"Alright. Then it's settled." Jeremy said, "Tonight I'll put on the music from my bracelet and we'll see what happens."

"Okay," Odd said, "Well, now that we have all that settled, how about we go down to the Cafeteria for dinner?"

Later that evening, after a very hearty dinner, the Lyoko team put their plan into effect. Jeremy had calibrated his bracelet to play Aelita's chosen selection of music and when it came time, Jeremy turned out his light, put his earbuds in his ears, and let the gentle singing put him to sleep. He felt nothing at first and then as he drifted off, he felt a strange tug-of-war as if his conscious mind and his desire to sleep were at war with each other. He wanted to be lucid enough to talk with this program if it indeed was the artificial intelligence of the North-Gate Program.

Soon Jeremy's fight between sleep and consciousness subsided. As he dreamed, he saw he was in a moonlit meadow. It was springtime, the feeling of the season was all around him. It had just freshly rained, maybe an hour or so before he arrived, and the soothing heated but still cool air caressed his face. Jeremy lay back on a daisy covered hill slightly damp still from the rain as he watched the full-moon between two mountain peaks, so silvery and yet so beautifully clean.

"Nice, isn't it?" a voice said from beside him.

Jeremy turned, and his eyes saw a beautiful young girl about his age. Her hair was silvery blonde done in a beautiful Dutch braid, her skin white as milk and her eyes, a deep piercing green.

"Yes, it's beautiful." Jeremy replied, "Is this a portion of the utopia you promised to Aelita?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could.

The girl chuckled, "A small portion, but yes. It was very intuitive of you to seek me out in this manner. It's more than half of what makes your team so unique to me."

"Unique in a good way or a bad way?" Jeremy asked.

"Unique in a sense, it is one of the most charming things about you. No matter what I try to do, you have in your group the brains, the metal, the resolve, to try and find a solution for every problem I put forward. It's a highly admirable trait, Jeremy." The girl said as she leaned back on the hillside looking up at the countless stars.

Jeremy lay back in the grass with her, "Why do you do as you do? Why do you test us as you do?"

"Care to clarify?" the girl asked.

"The way you allow us a leash, and we test it, you shorten it closer and closer to your hand. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? I tested you because it demonstrated to me your group's resolve and your resourcefulness. It was amazing to see how your team used diplomacy, stealth, cunning, and your combined knowledge to get what you want. It demonstrates, above all, resilience."

"And so, if I understand you correctly, you enhance the barriers and beef them up once again to see how we overcome? And then what?"

"Well, I would choose to think of it like this. So long have you all been on a covert, clandestine mission to stop my brother that you have come to know to sneak, and in general, skullduggery the only methods by which to achieve your ends."

"Can you blame us?" Jeremy said with a chuckle, "We're high-school kids in a world patrolled and controlled by adults. Who's going to take us seriously when we say 'Oh, excuse me, a rogue virus is determined to destroy the world, give me half an hour to fix it.'"

The girl smiled, "Odd's rubbing off on you more and more. Before, you didn't have a sense of humor to save yourself."

Jeremy smiled back, "I like to think I grow and mature with my team. But you still didn't answer my question—why do you test us ask you do?"

The girl looked at him, her eyes seemingly piece through his own eyes into his brain, "Could it not be so simple as to consider that there's still one thing you haven't tried?"

He looked at the girl before him and said after a moment, "May my friends and I, please be allowed to leave the school?"

The girl shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

"That simple?" Jeremy asked.

"Sometimes, life is just that simple, and yet at the same time so simple that we convince ourselves, it cannot be the truth." The girl replied.

Jeremy nodded, "Perhaps you can enlighten me on something else?"

"Name it."

"What did you mean by what you told Aelita about people and their needs versus their wants?"

The girl got up and said, "Are you familiar with birthing pains, Jeremy."

"I am. The way Aelita said you explained it is that people don't want the birthing pains, only the progress that comes from it. And you're not wrong. I look at the progress of certain things like technology, medicine even and find that countless would rather die than go back to the fundamental stages of something they have come to love."

"This is true. However, let us look at what constitutes birthing pains in terms of what I speak. Countless people were tested, prodded, poked, and even tortured in some cases to get the desired effects we as a people so vastly cherish. None wish to be part of the birthing pain process, it's human nature. However, for any good to come from anything, the birth pains and hunger pangs must be felt somewhere to determine how best to improve, is that not so?"

"Of course."

"Good, so what needs to be understood first and foremost is that many people knowing as you do that they would not suffer these pains and pangs, how are you to determine how best your policies impact a people at large if the data must come from somewhere?"

"One could easily reference history," Jeremy replied as he got up to be of equal footing to the girl, "History while admittedly slanted in some elements usually to benefit a regime, it is a handy tool to chart the overall causes and effects of something of what you're describing."

"Ah, of course. Learning from history, so one is not doomed to repeat it. Okay, and what would you do with those who know history, think they know more than you, and thusly march to their own tune?"

Jeremy was stuck for a moment, "Honestly, just respect their view so long as it's not chaotically disruptive. If it is, deal with them suitably with lethal results being the very last form of action."

The girl smiled and nodded, "Very good." She checked her watch an elegant silver and rose quartz affair, "Unfortunately, we're out of time. I'll see you later. You will have your freedom as you requested it."

The girl snapped her fingers, and in a blind flash all around them, Jeremy woke up panting and he took out his earbuds. The only word that could come to his mind was, _Wow. _He caught his breath and he refocused back into his own reality. It was quiet in the wee hours of the morning. Jeremy listened intently, not a sound except the very dull rhythmic thumping sound of someone fucking in one of the nearby rooms. Jeremy checked his calendar to see it was Sunday.

"_Of course," _he thought, "_Odd's usual morning Sunday celebration. Wonder who it is this time?" _

John was with Yolanda as they pulled up to Kadic's main parking lot. It was a very nice morning, cool and crisp while John was drinking a Cappuccino. He was contemplating all that had to happen. He knew it wouldn't be easy. As a matter of fact, he'd been through this multiple times across multiple fields and never had it ever been easy.

"Are you ready?" Yolanda asked him as she observed he was slightly nervous.

"The answer to your question is best said like this; I'm never ready for this stuff when it comes down to it. But what needs to be done needs to be done." John took another drink of his cappuccino the hot sweet foam soothing him as if it were a bracing action of the swimmer before the rapid descent into the pool upon which he would be judged.

"Come on," John said, "let's get this over with."

They got out, and John checked in as did Yolanda and both went to their stations. As John headed towards the science lab, he came across Jim who was in the middle of a conversation with Suzanne. Not wanting to prolong this any longer than necessary, John took a side route through to the lab and soon entered seeing Hendricka prepare a lab for a demonstration to one of the classes. She looked at him and signed, "_It's all set, isn't it?" _John gave a thumbs up and he headed back to his office near Hendricka's.

John patched into his implant, "Amy, it's a go. I repeat it's a go."

There was silence a moment, and Amy replied, "_Your apprehension squad will be there in fifteen minutes. Everything is on standby awaiting your signal._"

John sighed as he took a deep drink of his cappuccino, finishing it off. It was only a matter of minutes now. Savoring what he could of his last moments of freedom, he reclined in his chair and closed his eyes. Soon the alarm began to sound and the light in his office began to flash. Jean-Pierre was heard to yell and try and stop the incoming force, but John knew it was to no avail. The door of his office was kicked in and John saw him, Agent Horace Finch. The task force accompanying Finch grabbed John and slammed him onto his desk.

"Johnathan Reed Barrow," Finch said, "you are under arrest for espionage against the nation of France."

As they escorted John out, Finch stopped him, "I told Anthea one day we would find you."

John smiled through bloodied teeth and said, "Well, Mary, you found your little lamb. Tell me, is my fleece as white as you remember it being?"

Finch struck John in the gut with a powerful blow, knocking the wind out of him. The students were shocked as were much of the faculty as John was escorted off Kadic premises.

Jean-Pierre yelled over the clamor, "I really must protest! What has John done wrong?!"

Finch looked at Delmas, "Your school has been harboring a treasonous fugitive of the state. I request you compose yourself before we come in to sweep this place top to bottom."

Finch turned and headed out as John was put into a patrol car. As John looked at the front left seat, he saw Akiko Ishiyama.

"Tch," John said, "It figures she would send you. "

"Of course, she will be with us shortly, John, or whatever you'd like to call yourself."

"You fool, Ishiyama. You'll never be so lucky as to get out alive a second time."

"Ha, I'd save your breath for my questioning."

"I'm not telling you anything," John replied.

Akiko looked back at him, "We'll see." The driver came and sat down soon afterward, and the cars went through Kadic's parking lot entrance the cars in time vanishing in the distance.


	19. Chapter 19

_**AN: It was a tough chapter to write this time because I felt I had run out of steam and ideas. But God pulled me out of it, and here you are, another chapter as best I could write for your enjoyment. Thank you all so much for your continued support of my work. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break and a safe and happy New Year. As always, read, review, and enjoy. God bless and keep you. See you all next chapter. **_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 19

As the siren signifying the alert still sounded, students and faculty alike had gathered in the halls which had led up to the science lab and back out to the main entrance. Johnathan Barrow had just been taken off inside a government car, and Jean-Pierre stood silent as if stunned in the still open main door to the school. At that moment, Jean-Pierre felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Suzanne standing beside him.

"Are you okay, Jean?" she asked.

He shook his head, "I—I can't answer that right now, Suzanne. I really can't."

The alarm chirp had grown beyond obnoxious, and Jean-Pierre yelled, "Turn that damned alarm off!"

The children shook as they had never heard the old man raise his voice, and soon the chirp was now silent. Jean-Pierre put his fingers to his temples and exhaled and stood silent a moment. There was a form of gentle silence while once could easily count ten. Jean-Pierre looked outside and then turned to the students gathered around.

"Children," he said, sounding a bit frustrated, "return to your dorms until the second tone. Then you may resume your normal classes."

Jean-Pierre headed back silently to his office, and once inside, he sat down. He couldn't believe what had started out as a peaceful morning had devolved into a mess of chaotic dreck right in his lap. He reflected upon what had been said to him just a moment ago. He was charged with holding a fugitive of the state; he heard the charge given to John that he was charged with espionage against the nation of France. But how could that be? There was no evidence to conclude or even lead to that from his background at all. With Jim, it was clear where he had come from, a decorated aspect of service as a Navy Seal from America. John, there was no history to show any federal involvement period.

Jean-Pierre pulled out the file he had on John and looked over it extensively. He had worked with _Amber and Reese _that was clear enough. He also had aspects of working with a law firm _Emerson and Walsh, _in the United States, but it was in a minor managerial capacity. Reading further, he saw that Johnathan had worked as a junior-management chemist at _Rena and Neski Pharmaceutical. _Jean-Pierre also knew he came here on Hendricka Schneider's recommendation. Taking her file and cross-referencing them, Jean-Pierre found that the two dossiers intersected at _Rena and Neski Pharmaceutical. _So, that was the connection. An apparent three-year period where the two had most likely met and cultivated their friendship.

Jean-Pierre reclined in his chair and reflected on what he could have missed. He rested his eyes, and he took a breath. As he sat in silence, he then remembered, John knew Yolanda very well, which was evident from his first day. But what was the connection? She said he'd helped her with her exams. Jean-Pierre went to the file cabinet and took out Yolanda's file and performed another cross-reference. Yolonda had attended John's-Hopkins and achieved the top ten percentile in her class specializing in physiology and forensic pathology. Johnathan had attended John's Hopkins and majored in the top fifth percentile two years prior to Yolanda and attained his doctorate in Forensic Psychology, certification as an anesthesiologist, as well as an understudy in chemistry. Jean-Pierre made notes of these parallels and, once done, put the faculty files back inside the cabinets.

Meanwhile, the Lyoko warriors had gathered back into Jeremy's room and were sitting in relative quiet. Jeremy was thinking intensively on what had happened in his dream the night before, and he remembered the young girl's words, the young girl who he could only assume was the face of the North-Gate Program. He remembered what she had promised. "_You shall have your freedom." _Was this her way of doing it? And truly doing it so soon? How was it possible?

Aelita saw he was deep in contemplation and so she cleared her throat, "Jeremy, how did the dream go before we get too sidetracked, but what happened?"

Jeremy looked at her and said, "She kept her promise."

Odd looked at him, "Beg pardon?"

"She kept her promise, the voice on the computer. The voice in my dream, she kept her promise, the walls are down, we're free to do as we wish." Jeremy replied.

"Wait—wait," Ulrich said, "What do you mean the walls are down? She took them down?"

"It was all a test to see what we would do, how we would react if the system grew tighter around us."

"For what purpose?" Aelita asked.

"She liked to see how we reacted, she wanted to see what we were willing to do and judging by how she spoke, she got what she wanted. She knows we're persistent, and to her, we are of a great form of value."

"Value as what?" Odd asked.

"Value as her soldiers most likely, but I don't think that's her purpose for us. Unlike XANA, she doesn't seem to want to test for ferocity; she seems to want to test for what we're willing to do as a team to get an objective done."

Ulrich nodded, "I see, so she's more about strategy, not brute force? Interesting."

"Yeah, she doesn't exactly seem to approve of our sneaking around as she terms it; however, she tested me, in that she said, there was one thing we had not yet tried. So, I asked her if we could please have the walls down and sure enough, boom, they're gone, and John Barrow is gone as well."

"Don't get so comfortable, Einstein." Odd said, "Remember, she is the one who put the walls up from what I can tell from all this. Also, she's the one who put John Barrow here. It doesn't mean she won't do it again. Under a different pretense."

"True, but at the same time, I think she wants our trust more than she wants us as enemies. She saw our victory over XANA, and she's aware of our strength in that regard, but as I understand, she prizes intellect above brute strength. She told me time and time again, what she loves about us is our resilience."

"Mmm—careful, Jeremy," Ulrich said, "Think of it like this she may have started out three steps over the line and is taking one step back. Lowering a barrier is something you'd have to concede is a small concession for her. And in fact, what you tell us is something she wanted you to ask for. Despite how she paints it, the world isn't as simple as asking for something, and you get it. It just isn't, sorry to say."

Aelita then spoke, "Well, as I'm looking at your world more and more, well, it kind of is. It's asking for something with usually a form of favor asked in return. Jeremy wanted the walls down for us, then, what would she ask in return is the greater question."

Ulrich nodded, "Okay, Devil's advocate here. Aelita, when you brought Jeremy back from the dead, what were the choices the voice limited you to?"

Aelita looked at Ulrich and then to the ground, she was silent a moment and said, "I could either re-establish the timeline before her systems and John Barrow even came into the picture or I could take Jeremy's life and have it back again, I couldn't have both. I had to choose one or the other. Thus, she said, 'Choose your friend or Utopia, you can't have both.' And she delivered on that promise."

Odd nodded, "I see, and so, she gives you two choices to choose from one even using the element of negating herself, and you choose Jeremy?" Odd looked at Ulrich and back at Aelita, "She exploited you right there."

"What?" Aelita asked.

"Think about it." Odd replied, "She forced you into a decision that she knew you'd leap with your heart before your head; she even gave you a timer if memory serves. So, she manipulated you into letting her stay. So, you keep Jeremy, but she's quantum-locked now into the overall equation. Tch, she's very smart. Okay, we have Jeremy, but we know this system is designed to try and help us. XANA was the same way except he gained independent intelligence."

Aelita said, "She also said she has people to maintain her, and she maintains them, so no one overplays the other."

Ulrich's eyes snapped, "That's a false comfort, don't you dare believe it. That thing could easily kill its so-called supports. But if it is a true mutually assured destruction, well, that may be something we can use in our favor down the line."

Jeremy said, "I don't know quite what she's going for. I know she has a plan, but it's as she said, there must be birthing pains for progress to be made. I told her simply look at history if you don't know where to start. But something tells me, it's not enough for her."

The group sat in silence for a moment, and Odd took out a ball and bounced it on the floor back into his hand. He repeated this motion for some time, the bounce of the ball timing the thoughts of the Lyoko warriors, all of them deep in contemplation. Around the twentieth bounce of the ball, Aelita snatched it out of mid-air.

"I got it," She said, "Think about it, this entity values our resilience, values our resourcefulness. She spoke of the birthing pains as necessary for progress—what is to say she doesn't mean to spare us the birthing pains? She clearly laments the destruction of useful talent, she enjoys our reactions to her tests, what if we have proven our merit?"

Ulrich leaned against the wall, "Care to explain?"

"What if in defeating XANA and overcoming this major aspect of the test of the physical barriers, she deems us worth to help us put select events into motion? I mean, think about it, XANA is not a slouch, he's not at all. Considering we even defeated what she called her brother, she actually could see us as an equal if you choose to think about it."

"I'd be careful with that supposition, honestly," Odd replied, "I think this machine already has an engine in mind, it already has choices lined up for us. I think just like Jeremy, even if you wanted to work with it, it would give you choices it would largely benefit from. Jeremy's resurrection through a return to the past as a prime example. It is not above manipulation; we all saw that. I don't fault you for making the choice you have Aelita, far from it, but we have to be very careful, and besides, we can't just do nothing either."

Jeremy nodded, "He's right. Like it or not, the walls are down, we can go wherever we need to, we just need to ask. But Odd is right if we sit on our hands; this system, whatever it is, will move on without us. We can at least hope through talking with it, reasoning with it, that it sees reason and takes mindful humane approaches as is its directive based on what Aelita's mother gave us."

"But there's something else as well, Jeremy," Ulrich said, "If this thing has components and agents that balance it, we'd have to meet with them as well. We must reason with the reasoners. I'm with Aelita that we may be included in some major decisions, but Odd is also right; if our voice is not heard, it's like an abstaining vote, neither for nor against."

"Like as not, however, we may have lost one of the voices." Aelita said, "Mom said she would find a way to get us out of this system away from the barriers. What if that was it? What if John Barrow yes may have been a lackey, but what if he was the voice we needed to talk to?"

Ulrich groaned, "That opens a whole separate can of worms. So, either your mom sprung us or this voice." He sighed, "Is there any way to be sure of one or the other?"

Aelita nodded, "I can call her. I have her number after tracing her plates."

Jeremy nodded, "Do so, please. We're going to go get some hot chocolate to give you some privacy. Come on, guys."

The boys got up and headed out down to the vending machine while Aelita took out her phone, and she scrolled through the number and pressed Anthea's number and called it.

Meanwhile, John Barrow was sitting handcuffed in a cold room. The shade of the walls was a form of light blue; the only reason he could tell this was because of the slats of light that came through the upper crests of the wall to his right. He knew very well what was likely to happen. However, as his experience taught him, there was no such thing as being fully prepared as it was an impossible thing. There was quite a to-do when he was booked and printed, he knew various section and station chiefs had been alerted, and he had been immediately taken to this room where he had sat for the past half hour.

The officers had offered him coffee and tea, but he had taken neither. He knew that this aspect of the mission carried far greater risks than most of the team had anticipated. He tapped into his implant in his temporal lobe, and he was able to see and hear with immense clarity what to the ordinary human ear would seem muffled. The usual rot about some officer's kid or a date tonight, but nothing had seemed to be too out of the ordinary just yet. Focusing on the camera in the far-left corner, John ran a diagnostic scan of the object. It was in standby mode linked to monitoring four of the surveillance he had seen coming in. However, this building was outside the city limits a good deal removed from most stations he had seen around the city and so John figured it would be a good amount of time before the cavalry arrived. That was fine; this wasn't his first rodeo.

Soon the sound of footsteps approaching was heard, and John turned off his implant. The door in front of him opened, and a middle-aged man of about forty-five came in along with Anthea. Both sat down and John held his tongue. There was silence for about two minutes and then the middle-aged man began to speak.

"John, you don't have to be afraid." The man's voice soft and calm, "None of us are here to hurt you."

John looked at the man and replied, "All evidence to the contrary due to the very nature of how I was taken in by your people."

"My apologies. You performed quite a stunt back a few years. And now you're back in the flesh. As you can understand, we were—apprehensive is not quite the right word but shocked you had returned from the dead."

"It's not every day a corpse jumps out of the grave, is it?" John quipped.

The man chuckled, "Indeed not, John. It has been a long time, hasn't it? You don't remember who I am, do you?"

"Indeed, I do. Dr. Johann Ketzler, friend and associate of Professor Lowell Tyron the secondary overseer of Project Carthage. Anthea was the overseer of the alpha and beta forms of the Sforza Algorithm designed to disrupt enemy communication and indeed overcome most if not all major satellites to plunge the world at large into black chaos literally through communication elimination."

"You do not remember me. We were the best of friends, John. I want to help you out of this—situation." Johann replied.

"No," John replied, "You were not my friend. The work that I undertook with Rebecca in making North Gate, which let's be honest, is what you're after. You took it from us. You took what you could, and you destroyed it before Waldo disappeared. That is what you wish of me now to tell you what has become of the rest you couldn't take."

Johann sighed, "John, that is all in the past. There is no more Carthage, no more Lyoko, no more XANA no more Sforza Algorithm. No more Icarus. You are living in a dangerously antiquated past. But I am not here to condemn you. I want to help you so that you may, in turn, help us."

"Help me what? That is the question. I fell off the grid you so prided yourself on and was more than half-way around the world. Until I noticed as I started to rebuild—surprise, surprise, you rear your head. Your agents hunt me all over the damn world from Dubai to Moscow, to Tahiti, to Boston, and now here. What do you truly want of me, Johann? There's nothing left for you here. You got what you wanted; North Gate is no more, thanks to what you have gutted, you've seen to that."

Johann sighed, "You see, you say that. But I cannot believe so. I am not blaming you, John. But someone somewhere has activated North Gate. We've been watching over the past few weeks. At first, we couldn't figure it out. We thought a lot of it was just happenstance, much like in the United States a few years ago. But this was different. We looked and saw. We _know _it's North Gate, John. We've seen its bones being laid as far back as fifteen years ago. Answer me honestly, please. Did you let North Gate loose when Waldo disappeared?"

"No. You saw how far Waldo and this one had gone so far in creating Lyoko. You saw what North Gate did to balance XANA and work with the system of Lyoko itself. But you scrapped it after XANA gained a mind of his own. You gutted so much work! Months and months of recalculations and balancing, years of work! You gutted so much it was down to its basic framework, its rudimentary code! No, there was nothing released. Because there was nothing to release. Rather poetic, isn't it?"

"What is?" Johann asked.

"The very creation you destroyed, designed to balance the great general, you took away. You took away his harness, and you took away his leash. And you wonder why he is such a monster. He was never meant to operate alone! You know this! But you did it anyway. You feared logically what would have happened had North Gate been spoken to with XANA's understanding. But you didn't need to. The system would have destroyed if it needed to. But now, I guess we'll never know what truly could have been. It says something after all when some of your principle scientists disappear and not out of fear of Carthage but the shit it represented."

Johann looked at him and replied, "John, please. I'm on your side here!" tears were forming in his eyes, "Yes, okay, North Gate was gone but John, the risk! The risk, man! You built a thing of beauty, both you and Rebecca. But you made something equally dangerous."

John stood from his chair in his cuffs, "North Gate was as dangerous as she needed to be! She was dealing with a program that, by its very design, was to protect people from outside threats! She knew her brother had the potential to go far too far because he always had that possibility within him from the beginning. Thus she was outfitted accordingly."

John sat down, "It's pointless. It doesn't matter what you say is happening. I know, based on what you gutted, Johann, North-Gate cannot be functioning. She cannot be."

Johann looked at Anthea, who was silent as she observed the handcuffed man before her. In her heart, she wanted to pity him. But she knew things Johann did not know. Even so, she couldn't broach those subjects without proving she had gone against protocol, and at that moment, her life and indeed Aelita's life she felt hanged in the balance. This man was not weak. No, not at all. That man before her was the caged tiger; he knew more than he let on. He admitted he was John Barrow, so that was progress at least on record. Anthea looked back at Johann and nodded.

Johann spoke, "John, tell me. If North Gate is not alive and running, how are you able to always move ahead of us? We wanted to talk to you as soon as you arrived in France, but you were always on the move. How are you able to move and not be caught until now? You're not Superman, John. You have help. How were you able to turn an entire school into a fortress and appear and disappear like a ghost? How is it, John, that _Amber and Reese _a code-name given to North Gate now is a massive security firm but shockingly doesn't have that many employees for its noteworthiness in security? How is it that the same company outlined as a primary form of defense for North Gate serves the same purpose in a realm so close to you? John, there's not that much coincidence in the world."

Johann got up, took out a cigarette, lit it, and after a long drag said, "John, we also know North-Gate is alive because of Protocol Seven. Over the last couple of weeks, we have observed some admittedly shocking actions happening out there. We correlated these actions against the program's actions. Chiefly the reference being the early directive notes that you had under Protocol Seven. Use of a terrifying act to integrate a system by which it is meant to better safeguard people against such an event. We know very well that it's active but maybe like XANA it did achieve sentience. Someone, if not you, someone put North-Gate into the world. it's been active for quite some time buying up land, resources, buildings, proposed in accordance with the Savior Protocol. It's building itself, John. It knows you as its creator; thus, it found you and has been watching out for you. But truly, if you want to help us, you'll help us end this program."

John chuckled as he leaned back in his seat, "Happenstance Johann. That's all it is. We know who committed the attack on the station. A disgruntled employee against the likely seedy and litany of hidden offenses of her overseeing reporter, Thomas Vincent. Dig in a bit deeper into him, and I'm sure you'll find what you need in terms of proof."

"Then why did you shore up Kadic Academy, where you were working directly on the heels of such an attack?" Anthea asked.

John looked at her and replied, "My reaction, dearest Anthea, is no different than the United States after their 9/11 attacks. They shored up their own defenses and checkpoints with specific guidelines as to what to look for, releasing technologies for thoroughness to prevent another attack, etc. In the interests of the safety of the children is why I had this precaution implemented. As it worked so well for _Amber and Reese _and countless other companies over the years, I felt it best to safeguard the children with the best applications possible given the situation. If you care for safeguarding your nation's children, then that's on your conscience or lack thereof, not mine."

Johann approached Johnathan and said, "John, _Amber, and Reese _is not a real company. It's a security firm sure and has great reviews, but so do most of our operations which served as shells."

"Johann, it is not a false company." John replied with a sigh, "Go over to the building and look into it we have three-thousand employees in that one building with countless others across the country and indeed most Europe and parts of Eurasia. We are a security consulting firm both physically and technologically that has been in operation for fifteen years; in that time, we have amassed a great reputation. Go ahead; I'll wait. Send your people."

Johann sighed almost as if in disgust and said, "You know what, I don't have time for this. You will stay here in one of our cells until you are truly compliant." He rang the buzzer on the wall, and Anthea got up. Soon a knock was heard, and the door opened to reveal two officers.

"Take the prisoner to Isolation and keep a firm and close watch on him," Johann replied. He looked at John and said, "Give him the food he needs and occasional water. I'll be back for him in the morning."

The officers went over and took John by the arms, and they headed out the door. As John passed the observation desk, he activated his implant and sent out the code, 1015983. He then turned off the implant as he was taken downstairs into a long corridor of black doors with a steel slat at the bottom. He was taken to cell thirteen, and once his cuffs were taken off, he was put inside, and the door slammed shut with a metallic clang. It was quiet and pitch-black now in the room. the bed was a metal slab, a pittance of a blanket and the room smelled of bleach. John sat in the cell not saying a word. He tested the signal through his implant. He could barely get anything he wasn't close to any outward sources of communication. He had sent the code, that was all that need be done. Now, to wait for nightfall would be the greatest challenge.

Above him, Anthea was sitting with Johann, "What do you think, Johann? What's to be gained from this?"

Johann took a drag from what was now his second cigarette, "Hard to say. Tonight, we'll take him for processing over at Delta." He blew out a puff of smoke in frustration, "He is John Barrow, there's no mistake. Damn it. Who was it then in the ground? You exhumed his body, and it is him, so how can there be two of them with identical DNA aspects?"

Anthea thought a moment, "Well, could he not have made a clone using North-Gate? XANA was able to do so in making polymorphs, could North-Gate not do the same?"

"No, it couldn't," Johann replied, "Clones were unique to XANA as were his monsters. No, North-Gate doesn't have that capability. North-Gate was designed to keep people fed, nourished, healed, and safe. XANA was the military arm. We'll know more tonight when we transport him to Delta to question him more on our terms."

Johann got up and headed down the hall, leaving Anthea alone. As she sat in the office, Anthea couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She had received a tip that John was able to be taken from Kadic. But it seemed far too easy. Almost as if he was given up. He made no chase; he made no resistance. He just came in, no questions asked. No, this was too simple. Why would he deviate so drastically from his original pattern of running and hiding? It wasn't like anything she had seen. She picked up the phone in the office and made a call.

The phone rang, and a voice responded, "Hello, Captain Schultz."

"Hello Richard, this is Anthea. We have a prisoner down in ISO-13. I need you to double the guard on him until he is in transit tonight. Something just doesn't feel right, and I want to be sure this goes as smoothly as possible."

"Of course, at once."

As Anthea hanged up the receiver, she went back to her office. It was a small affair, not too small. It was comfortable enough. It wasn't the cubicle of a bean-counter, nor was it the executive's suite. It was functional and appropriate for her station. Anthea sat down at her phone, and she saw she had a voicemail from Aelita. Anthea plugged in her headphones and pressed play.

"_Hi mom, it's Aelita. Something happened here at the school this morning, John Barrow, who you and I discussed a bit was taken by what looked like federal police. What my friends and I wanted to know was, did you send for the police to grab him? The answer is simple, yes or no. Because if it's yes, we can rest at ease that you're on top of things like you told me you would be. If not, it hints at something that may be a bit more of a problem. Anyway, call me when you can. Love you. Bye." _

Anthea replayed the message and afterward was quiet a moment as she gathered her thoughts. It was as she had thought, the children had seen John being taken away, but they somehow had gotten to thinking that it could be either her keeping her promise and if not, then it was something more problematic. Why would it be problematic, though? Something wasn't making sense. Anthea was about to call back when her door opened. It was Johann dressed in a different coat.

"Anthea, how about you and I go to Delta? We can prep the team for questioning of Johnathan and get a steak at the officer's lounge for dinner?"

Anthea nodded, "Sure. We can do that. I'll be right with you. Oh, Johann, I doubled the guard on our friend, so he's not going anywhere even if North Gate does have a protocol in existence."

"Smart thinking. Given what we know of the program, I wouldn't put it above the system to try something. Come on; it'll take a bit to set things up."

Anthea got up and emptied her desk of all North-Gate elements of research or note. Putting these into a briefcase, she headed out with Johann to his BMW. Once inside, they headed for Delta, a minor military installation on the fringe of the Picardie. As she relaxed for a moment, the aspect of Aelita's message left a major question looming in Anthea's head. What else could it have been if it wasn't Anthea bringing John in? Her old thought occurred that perhaps John was either given to her or he gave himself to her. Either way, it was far from comforting. However, rather than broach the subject at present, she laid her head back on the headrest and let the gentle vibration of the car lull her to sleep.

As Anthea dreamed, she was transported back in her mind to Japan; it was when she was younger after Waldo had disappeared. She was in the marketplace. She remembered the relationship a colleague was in after a messy divorce. The relationship was with a wild American named Louis. She remembered how the organization had a team to sort this matter out; they desired to liquidate Louis. But of that team, there was a man of which she couldn't describe how beautiful he was. His hair was black silk, long and pulled back into a short ponytail. His eyes were beautifully blue, and his beard perfectly trimmed. He spoke with the most beautiful and poignant words.

The Christian was what the team called him due to his fervency of faith, but also, she remembered how he spoke, with softness, and yet with firmness. He had the grace and elegance of the finest orator with a speech so soft she could listen to him for hours. The Christian had helped this woman; he had spoken to her coached her on what to say to Louis to disarm him in an argument. Louis was a vain man, but as Anthea learned, very insecure. But the Christian knew this and so coached her how to ease herself and calm herself even if riled or confronted. But what's more, he performed his task so well, Louis could not surmount and subdue the woman and so disappeared into the crowd. All the while, the Christian surveyed from within the crowd invisibly prompting the woman through the simplest of gestures.

To say the Christian was a negotiator was the epitome of an understatement. He was ready, he was usually quite prepared in advance, and when Anthea asked him why he was able to do as he was able to do, he replied simply, "I get my gifts from my master, and I dare not deny him his due. 'For he who denies me in front of man so I will deny before my father.'"

The whole event replayed again in her mind. She saw her friend become flustered, but through the Christian's gestures behind Louis amidst the crowd she was able to overcome, she was able to ward his greatest displays of anger and able to subdue the lion in its cage. Anthea could see the Christian silently giving a thumbs-up at small intervals as he listened to the argument. Louis loved his spectacle and Anthea supposed that was just his nature, but she saw the more agitated Louis became the more his fire-red wild hair kept moving with the agitated motions of his head. The woman was retaining her calm but at the same time looking at him as if he were a legitimate madman. Then Louis stormed off and Anthea saw the woman look relieved.

Anthea looked for the Christian but couldn't find him anywhere immediately and found him in the hallway of the mall, kneeling on the ground, a red apple in his hand, and then with a blink of her eyes, the apple turned bright green. He took a bite and said, "Mmm, these are really good. You should have one while you can."

At that moment, the world shifted on a terrible slant, and Anthea was then sent hurdling upward. Suddenly the smell of gas filled her lungs and she awoke the scream and groaning of twisting metal. She was upside down in the car and looking around; she realized it was now the last breath of sunlight in the sky. She heard crunching of glass around her. As a soldier's boots came before her face. She looked up and saw the dress was not at all standard military but what she thought were silver slacks was not slacks but someone's legs. Anthea angled her head as best she could, and she could see upward just barely. There was a black flak-jacket that covered the torso of the being over her. Anthea looked to her left and saw that Johann was gone as if torn from his seat. She heard the footsteps of several people outside the wreck.

A man's voice was heard to yell out, "Any other survivors?"

The boots in front of her came together with a heavy click as if standing at perfect attention.

"Very good. Leave the wreck someone will be along shortly, I'm sure. We have what we need. Fall out and load up into the van."

The booted feet before her marched off to the right as did four other sets at least, and soon the heavy rumble of an engine was heard. The vehicle took off calmly and then accelerated after a portion down the track. Anthea took out her knife, which she carried in her breast pocket and cut the seatbelt and got out of the car. The damage to herself wasn't that bad. A mild cut that may need a stitch or two but nothing terrible. Her ankle flamed forth in radiating pain. It wasn't broken but at the least sprained. Anthea lay beside the wreck and she looked at what happened.

The car had been side-swiped from the right, which then hit a guardrail, causing the vehicle to spiral. As she looked around, Anthea was amazed she wasn't hurt worse. She sat down on the side of the road and found her phone. Sending out a coded message, she waited for a response. As she waited, her phone vibrated multiple times, showing she had two missed messages and one missed call.

Checking the texts, Anthea read, "Help needed at Detainment! Prisoner from ISO-13 Missing! Send Help NOW!"

Checking the second text, she read, "Force on believed dead or neutralized in the best-case scenario. Assuming some chemical attack on the compound. Send out analytics as soon as you can!"

Anthea checked the voice mail and listened.

"_Uh, this is Sargent Vince Patel. I'm here to pick up a prisoner for transit. There's no fucking good way to say it. The prisoner is gone, I repeat, the prisoner is gone. The staff from the top floor to ISO have been attacked with powerful gas. I could only stay in the place long enough to get a comprehensive headcount before I got light-headed. Unsure if those inside are dead or just asleep. I'm sending in a squad to vent the place, and we'll have to proceed from there. All units and overseers report back as soon as possible." _


	20. Chapter 20

_**AN: Once again, I have the pleasure to give to you another chapter. I wasn't quite sure where I was going with this one admittedly at first. But after prayer and actively seeking out a song to fit what I felt conveyed what needed to be conveyed, I am very pleased how this turned out. As always, thank you so much for all of you who have read and continue to read and review my work; it means so very much to me. Thank you and as always, read, review, and enjoy.**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 20

It was silent in the van progressing along the black asphalt road. Thank goodness traffic wasn't that bad tonight. Inside, Johnathan Barrow lay on a small stretcher while Yolanda was watching over him, keeping constant watch over his vitals. Maria was in front driving while Enrique was alongside her. The raid on the station was a whole lot more effective than John's preferred method. They were in and out in no time at all and without a single casualty or even shred of resistance. That was good. Now the only problem was that they would be looking for John now. It was okay as they were looking for him anyhow. All of them knew; however, the best thing to do would be to get John back to base and keep him there at least until things had died down sufficiently.

"How is he?" Maria asked.

"He's stabilizing," Yolanda replied. "The medicine he took before this all went down helped him to negate a lot of the effects. But his pulse is steady and normal. I just have to keep an eye on his blood-pressure until we get back to base."

"Man, that was some powerful shit we pumped into those fuckers, huh?" Enrique asked.

"Well, what can I say," Yolanda replied, "Amy doesn't play around, she never has. Maria, keep the van steady and smooth as possible need to inject Johnny with some of the serum."

"Got it," Maria replied.

After a moment, Yolanda replied, "Good, he's stable for now." She sat on the bench nearby, and she said, "Admittedly, that gas is a lot more preferable to an all-out slaughter."

"No shit," Maria replied. "John, while he's a great strategist, he doesn't always exactly consider the covert aspect of covert-operations."

"Has he ever thought before leaping?" Yolanda asked.

"Fair point."

"Ah, you ladies are too rough on old Johnny. He's done a heck of a lot to get what we need to be done. Of course, you have your place too, Londie, I don't disregard that."

"Thank you, Ricky." Yolanda replied, "Still, the issue remains if we went through with his method, this mission would be stopped long before it got to self-sustainment."

"What happened to those people who were interrogating him? The doctor and the pink-haired chick?" Enrique asked.

"Emilio is slated to take care of them," Maria replied. "We did this as a two-prong attack we get John, Emilio gets them with Vector Squadron."

"Ah, the Frankenbabies." Enrique said with a smile, "Decimating mankind since 1952."

The ladies laughed at this a bit, and soon, John began to stir. Yolanda knelt beside him and gently raised his head so he could drink from a canteen. He got a bit of water over him as he was recovering from all that had happened.

"It's alright; it's alright," Yolanda said softly.

"Oh, fuck." John said after a bit of a gasp, "What happened?"

"You mean you don't remember anything?" Yolanda replied.

"Parts of it. I remember leaving the school grounds, and after that, nothing. Oh, my head! My fucking head!"

"What's the matter, John?" Yolanda asked.

"I'm really thirsty." He replied.

Yolanda gave him the rest of the canteen, and John drank greedily, downing the cold water.

"So, she did a full command control, huh?" Enrique asked.

"Yep. I had that coffee this morning, and it a cappuccino on roids. Amy said it would negate a lot of the adverse effects such as numbness and lightheadedness. And after I left the Kadic grounds, it was weird. I blacked out but at the same time, was awake. Imagine hearing all around you and even listening to yourself speak but not in control of anything. It's like being in a black room but feeling the full effects of what I can only call bodily auto-pilot."

"Shit, that's some freaky stuff, man," Enrique replied.

"Tell me about it, I was the one in it, and it was so strange," John replied as he drank more from the canteen.

"Are you feeling better?" Yolanda asked.

John sighed, "Bit by bit, yeah. Where are we right now?"

"We're fifteen minutes from base," Maria replied, "We're going to have you stay there for at least a couple of days until things die down."

"Great." John replied, "I'm starving. What's to eat at the base?"

"Frankie's cooking his famous rotisseries tonight." Enrique replied, "Don't worry, man you got a bird to yourself. Ha-ha, I know that ravenous wolf look in your eyes all too well."

As the team headed back to base, the Lyoko team was in Jeremy's room. They were amazed at what they had just seen during the day, and now as they were together, they were deeply reflecting on what had transpired. All of them were in a degree of small shock. The promises of North-Gate had come to fruition. However, they were still awaiting the answer to their original question, was it Anthea who arrested John Barrow or was he given up? However, not to be bogged down by this, the team was discussing what to do next.

"Personally, I think we should have a bit of celebration." Odd said, "We're out of the aspect of this whole monitoring thing, and we're going back to what we had before."

"I hear that," Ulrich replied, "It's pretty awesome that they're analyzing the system as a whole and are even thinking of gutting it from the school."

Jeremy was quiet as he listened to the two. He had his own thoughts on this aspect. Yes, the system may be gutted but, that was pending an evaluation by an oversight committee on the Kadic board. Knowing how close John and Jean-Pierre were becoming, he thought that the system might not be as easily or readily gutted as the others thought. Jeremy knew the program promised them the freedom they desired but what if that was the point, it would be just them?

Aelita, seeing that Jeremy was in the form of a mental quandary, said, "We'll see in the coming days what happens. Something tells me that this whole mess is not quite over yet. Besides, I had to think about it. Why did John Barrow show up of all days, today at Kadic? I'm thinking it feels like what you call, how do you say, a handoff?"

"So, you think that John Barrow was another small concession the same as lowering the barrier that hemmed us in?" Jeremy asked, his eyes closed.

"As one of you said, it is a small concession if one were to step three steps over a proverbial line to take one step back," Aelita replied.

Jeremy's fingers pinched the skin between his eyes, a habit of frustration, and then he spoke, "Let's test this. If this North-Gate is to be trusted, let's test her word. Let's make a plan to go somewhere, anywhere outside the perimeter and see what her rebuttal is."

"How do you propose we do this?" Ulrich asked.

"We leave in an hour when Jim is on the west end of the grounds. If what North-Gate says is correct, we should be able to walk out just like that." Jeremy replied.

"I'm sure there's a caveat somewhere in this plan." Odd replied, "How will the system be shut off for just us? How can you be sure?"

"Odd's right, Jeremy," Aelita said, "Better to wait until the system is at least shut off during the investigation to make the best use of it."

"But then would not North-Gate's word be flawed? It would mean she couldn't deliver on her own promises. She said we would have our freedom as we requested."

"Yes, but she didn't say when you'd have the freedom, Jeremy." Odd replied, "She said you'd have it, not when you'd have it. Be patient."

"Don't you see? This is another test to see if we trust her word or not. We could spend the better part of a month in the school, and all the while, never know the door's been wide open. I'm going for it. I'm going to head to Yumi's tonight and when I'm there, I'll call you."

Aelita put her hand on his shoulder, "Jeremy, please, wait. What will it take a day to get this all undone? Wait a day."

Jeremy shook his head, "I'm sorry, Aelita, but I'm going to try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained in this aspect. Besides, think about it, if I can get out you three can follow right on my heels to Yumi's and then we can go check out what changes were made to the super-computer."

Ulrich nodded, "Okay," he got up, "Call Aelita and Aelita, you message Odd and I. I have some work to do. We have the end of the year assignments to complete and just two weeks left to do them. As powerful a program as this North-Gate is, I don't think it would save me academically. Change the world, sure, maybe—but I think the program would suck at micromanaging where it counted."

Odd looked at him, "You, seriously studious? Have I hit my head, or is this reality?"

Ulrich looked at him, "Tch, look who's talking. Come on, Odd, you have to affirm or deny your stance on the French Revolution being the first communist experiment. Or did you forget your great expositional truth bomb a while ago?"

"Ah, that. I'm not too worried about it. It's an argument that is very self-explanatory. While it may have had its first breath in the American Revolution, the French Revolution is what embraced a lot of communist ideals first and foremost."

"That's great, Odd. Now you just must prove it in written format. I'll see you back at our dorm." Ulrich closed the door.

Jeremy looked surprised, "What's eating him?"

"Oh, nothing. He just hates it when I'm proven right is all." Odd replied as he relaxed, "But, it'll be interesting to see just what comes of my argument across the class."

"Why?" Aelita asked.

"Half the class doesn't care for me, and the other half is eager to prove me wrong. Many of them will support my proposition, however, because the logic within it is hard to debunk. Harder, then they would care to admit. So, despite how I know the class may very well be set against me, it's going to be interesting to see just how many turn to my side of the argument out of the sheer ease of the argument I have proposed."

"Interesting logical question you pose. Just because the proof is given in the opening question, does it mean it's easy to disprove?" Aelita said, "Very good, Odd."

"Eh, what can I say, I'm an interesting guy." Odd replied and looked at Jeremy, "Good luck on getting out of Kadic without the sirens going off. If anything, it'll be a very interesting experiment."

Jeremy nodded, and Odd soon left. As he wiped his glasses, he asked, "Aelita, you believe this can happen, don't you?"

"Like it or not, as I said, you would be better to wait. During the systematic investigation that is surely going to happen in the wake of what just happened today, I'd say you'd have a far greater chance given time when the system is inevitably shut down. While Delmas does like John Barrow, he doesn't like him enough to put the safety of us students at risk. It just isn't his nature."

Jeremy sighed, looked at the ceiling a moment, and then said, "I'm still going to give it a shot. If I'm caught, I'll use the rationale that you just instated. I know they won't come down hard on me especially with what's going on. There's just too big a fish to fry at present. I'll go as I said in an hour and see what happens. But hopefully, it shouldn't be too bad."

Aelita nodded, "Alright. And if it does work out for you, you will call me, and I'll alert Ulrich and Odd."

"Correct."

"Good. If it works, that'll be something. And when we're out, I can catch up with Yumi on a few things. Alright, you can go in an hour and I'll even help you by checking in on where Jim is. But I do believe there's a catch. You might want to wear your bracelet to follow through with your theory. Something tells me that you can't just get up and walk out of here; it sounds too simple. Use the bracelet just as a backup and see if you notice any differences if you can cross over."

"Great. Will do." Jeremy replied and opened the bottom drawers underneath his bed and took out a pair of sweatpants and a black T-Shirt and laid them out on his bed next to Aelita.

Aelita got up, "I'll see you in an hour then. I'll call ahead to Yumi to make sure she's ready to receive you should you get out."

"Alrighty then. See you in an hour."

After an hour had passed, Jeremy was ready for his test. He had sneaked out of his room as luck would have it what appeared to be while one of the guards was on a break to the restroom. He moved quickly as Aelita had sent him the text that Jim was still on the west side of the campus. Jeremy moved as silently but also as quickly as he could. Making it down to the first floor via the stairwell, Jeremy looked around. One guard was on duty at this side of the hall, but he hadn't detected Jeremy yet. Jeremy moved swiftly and silently, gently pressing in a heel-toe format on the ground so as to make minimal noise. As he made it towards his destination, he saw there were three guards, one for each major element of the hallway.

_Rats,_ he thought as he was hoping he could time this before shift change. But he remembered when the guard had radioed for a replacement when he went to the track a while ago. He just waited until his replacement arrived. He saw the camera on the far wall turn in his direction. As he hid behind the corner of the wall, he thought how best to get out of this. Then he heard a garbled speech on the guards' walkie-talkies, and he turned back and saw all three of them depart and head up the stairwell.

Jeremy felt his phone gently hum, he saw a text from Ulrich, "_You're good. Move, Einstein." _

Jeremy moved silently and as swiftly as he could. He looked down the hallway and saw no guard at the wall. He moved towards the infirmary and saw it was slightly ajar. He peeked in and didn't find Yolanda there at present and so moved quickly through the infirmary towards a window and he opened it. Using his lithe frame, he was more than able to get out. He was now in the courtyard. Now, all that was left was to get over the wall. Checking his bracelet, Jeremy saw it was in a dim glow of yellow just over his wrist. Jeremy thought that it was too late to turn back now; he was just a hurdle from testing his theory. However, what if the theory was for naught? What if he should have trusted Aelita? Should he just swallow his pride and head back in, or does he dare brave it?

At that moment, he heard footfall approaching so he hid in a nearby bush. Jeremy waited a time that seemed an age as he saw a powerful beam of light pass in front of him, followed by heavy footfall. As he peered out of the bush, he saw Jim patrolling the ground. Just at that moment, Jim stopped in front of Jeremy's bush and scanned along the passage of ground with his flashlight.

All the while, Jeremy thought, "_Move, Jim. Fucking move_." At that moment, he felt the warming sensation in his leg, "_No, oh no." _he thought as he felt the powerful feeling of a cramp coming on and rapidly taking control. Jeremy gritted his teeth as the pain was soon becoming unmanageable. Jeremy looked through pained and angered eyes at Jim who steadily as if taunting him stood there, patiently shining the flashlight as if to be double sure of what he saw. The pain was now drastically escalating to where Jeremy's tongue involuntarily went out as Jeremy did his best to control his breathing through his mouth, so intense was the pain.

Jim still wasn't moving, "_Come on, fucking move, please!" _Jeremy screamed internally as he shifted his leg. It was a move he instantly regretted as the cramp seemed to radiate out even more. Jeremy couldn't take much more of this at all. The pain radiated, pulsing as if his heart were having an attack in his leg. To make matters worse, Jim apparently had noticed something; perhaps it was his leg's shift, for now, the light was beginning to shine right at him. Jeremy thought quick and took off his glasses being sure to not make a sound as best he could. the pain pulsed and throbbed as his sight now blurry as all could be, was blinded by the light with the shade of the bush barely helping him. Jeremy knew better than to move; he felt the intensity of the beam of light burning through him.

Suddenly a blood-curdling shriek came from what sounded like the girl's dorm and the light instantly moved and Jim headed off in that direction. Jeremy was able to refocus just at that second as best he could. he put his glasses back on. He was confused but due to light more than dazed. His phone vibrated and it was Ulrich.

"_Run, Einstein, Run! Get the fuck out of here!" _

Jeremy leaped the wall and bolted for Yumi's house. It wasn't that far, but the aspect of the sirens that had just begun to sound from within the academy gave wings to his feet. He ran faster than he had ever run before. Jeremy avoided the main roads as best he could, he cut through yards, over more fences, and was making a diagonal line right for Yumi's house. The dogs of some of the neighbors were barking like crazy due to this new nightly disturbance and as they barked ferociously, it only served to spur Jeremy onward.

"_If only I can make it to Yumi before I break down, I can't stand this much longer." _Jeremy thought as his heart beat faster and faster.

Soon, Jeremy came in sight of the Ishiyama house, and he leaned all his effort into it and kept moving. As soon as he reached Yumi's yard, Jeremy collapsed next to the wall trellis. He gasped, barely able to contain himself and he saw Yumi's bedroom light on. Not wanting to make too big a noise, he backed up and climbed a nearby tree. Seeing she was alone, he took a pebble from the street and threw it. Yumi came out and saw Jeremy and motioned for him to go around to the back and wait a second. In time, Yumi came down to the back door and she let him in.

"You're going to have to be quiet." Yumi whispered, "My mom's out, but dad's still here but he's asleep in his chair. Be very quiet. Hiroki is in his room and he's asleep."

She sniffed the air, "Did you step in dog shit or something you wreak!"

Jeremy sighed, "It wouldn't surprise me. I cut through god knows how many yards just to get here unseen."

Yumi nodded and left coming back with a trash bag, "Take them off and gently put them into the bag. You'll have to come in, in just your socks. I'll loan you a pair of Ulrich's shoes that he left here."

Jeremy nodded, and once his shoes were in the trash bin, he went inside. After Yumi had eased the door opened, Jeremy gently made his way up the stairs into Yumi's room.

"What's going on," Yumi asked in a low voice, "Aelita said you were coming, but you look all out of breath."

"Yumi," Jeremy replied, "there is an AI that put up the system at Kadic and your school, it's a sister program to XANA, and it's been testing us for the week or so."

Yumi put her hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, take a breath, and tell me everything."

Jeremy began all that had happened, and as he in time wrapped up to testing the AI's word, Yumi nodded.

"So that's what's going on," She said.

"Yes. I wanted to see if this program was truly a keeper of its word, and it seemingly was, but as soon as I had crossed the street from Kadic, the sirens and alarms went off. But as I said, I heard a scream just beforehand coming from the girl's dorm, so I don't know what happened."

Yumi nodded, "In all fairness, I think I would have stayed at Kadic. Doubtless, by now, they've done a bed-check and you very likely would have turned up missing. That's what they're doing where I'm going to those who aren't close enough to home. There's a routine bed-check prompt at nine o'clock every night."

Jeremy nodded, and he texted Ulrich, _"Is everything alright?"_

There was a brief wait before the response came through, "_Einstein, we're dealing with fucking Wolverines all over campus. One of the guards busted Sissi and me, and I threw a desk lamp of hers at the woman and it broke shredding the woman's face and I swear, the woman's face reformed right before our eyes. Where are you?"_

Jeremy replied, "_At Yumi's, I'll be back in thirty minutes."_

"_Jeremy, I'm sorry, fuck that. Get back here ASAP. Since the alarm was raised, a bed check will happen in ten minutes." _

Jeremy closed his phone, "I'm sorry Yumi, I really got to go. You were right, and there's going to be a bed-check in ten minutes. I have to get out of here."

Yumi nodded, and she gave him a pair of Ulrich's sneakers. They were a size too large but they'd have to do. Yumi opened her window and Jeremy went down the trellis. He then took off for the more direct route to Kadic. This running shit was really getting old is what Jeremy thought as he made his way as fast as he could to Kadic. He had set a timer on his phone and it was counting down. Jeremy went along the sidewalks because he didn't care if he was seen at this point. The pace he had had to move at was insane. But as he ran, Jeremy was kicking himself as he couldn't tell if the alarm was sparked because of Sissi or his own breach of the wall. Either way, he was more or less back to where he was before.

He saw the lights of Kadic now large and fully lit. It would be hard as fuck to get in now. As he approached his phone vibrated, it was Aelita.

"_See you. Stick to the East Wall and in through the window as a few nights ago. Ulrich is inside ready to cover you." _

Jeremy nodded and nearly out of breath, he headed up the fire-escape. He came to the boy's shower room and saw the window was open. He looked in and saw Ulrich in a bathrobe with a robe for Jeremy motioning for him to hurry up. Jeremy hustled through the window and dropped into the shower room and collapsed against the wall.

Ulrich went to him, "Sorry for the rush, but I wanted to get you back before getting busted."

Jeremy waved his hand, "It's alright, fuck it's a hell of a run." He said in-between breaths.

"Hey, are those my sneakers?" Ulrich asked.

"Long story. So what did you say about Wolverine?"

Ulrich helped him to his feet, "The screws busted me and Sissi fucking, and I threw a lamp at the one who busted in and it shattered all over her face, we're talking shards out the ass in her face. But before our eyes, her face healed like no body's business and then she closed the door and went back to her post as if nothing had happened. Sissi screamed because of what she saw and well, the rest is history."

Jeremy's eyes went wide, "You're kidding me, they have healing factors?" He paused, "How?"

"No clue. Just that they have them. Come on, let's get you back to your room."

Jeremy and Ulrich got to Jeremy's room, and when Jeremy was inside, he said, "Thanks. Thanks for getting me back in."

Ulrich shrugged, "Hey, what are friends for, right?"

Jeremy smiled, "Yeah. Goodnight, Ulrich."

Ulrich headed down back to his room, and Jeremy closed the door.

As he lay on his bed, he took off his glasses and rested, "Oh, what a night." He said to himself as he lay in bed. He turned on the playlist on his bracelet and put it on low. Gently the song began to play. As he slept, he was back in the starlit mountain valley. The girl was before him, the avatar of North-Gate.

Jeremy didn't realize she'd appear so soon, but he approached her and he asked, "Look, I don't have time for this. Do I have freedom or not?"

She looked at him, her face calm and tranquil, "Freedom of what, Jeremy?"

"Do I have the freedom to leave?"

"Of course, you do. That was demonstrated when you went to Yumi's tonight, was it not?"

"But all the alarms and lights went on. Explain that, if you can."

"The girl screamed like bloody murder. Something had to be done. A girl screaming in the night and nothing done, that sounds like the height of negligence, no? Besides, you benefitted, did you not? Jim moved on, and you got out. It's a win-win situation. The only sacrifice you made was a nice pair of sneakers."

"So, the barrier is, in fact, down? There was no laser to trip me up or anything?"

The girl chuckled, "Lasers, such a fascinating mind you have. No, Jeremy, there were no lasers. Just a scream that alerted the campus. But you're here now, you're soon be rested, and you will not be in trouble. The barrier is down. I have kept my word as I promised you. Now, rest. You have a big class tomorrow, and you have an assignment to catch up on. So long have you been pursuing me, you're forgetting your reasons for being at Kadic. Sleep now, Jeremy. It will be needed."

The girl snapped her fingers, and the mountains vanished as did the stars. It melted away into a beautiful all-encompassing horizon of a glorious sunrise on a piece of beach. The air was fresh and so wonderfully sweet it was indescribable. As if the very molecules were bathed and saturated in the scent of the ocean, the sand, and fragrant fruit trees. It reminded Jeremy of a wonderful time with his family as a child. Jeremy let himself fall back onto the sand and the gentle roar of the surf soothe him. As he listened to the surf, a melancholic tune came hauntingly over the air. Jeremy turned his head to behold the girl, the specter of North-Gate sitting at a piano just out of arm's reach as she sang a song.

_Look at me and tell me who I am,_

_Why I am, what I am._

_Call me a fool, and it's true I am,_

_I don't know who I am._

_It's such a shame,_

_I'm such a sham._

_No one knows who I am._

_Once there were sweet possibilities,_

_I could see, just for me._

_Now all my dreams are just memories,_

_Fated never to be._

_Time's not a friend, hurrying by._

_I wonder who am I?_

_Am I the face of the future?_

_Am I the face of the past?_

_Am I the one who must finish last?_

_Look at me and tell me who I am,_

_Why I am, what I am._

_Will I survive?_

_Who will give a damn,_

_If no one knows who I am?_

_Nobody knows,_

_Not even you,_

_No one knows who I am._

The rich melody of the girl soothed Jeremy and almost seemed to caress him as if he were enveloped in a hot cotton towel after a refreshing shower. He fell in love; it was the only way he could describe it. In love with the beautiful voice which serenaded him, the gift of the piano's music was all the more wonderful due to how the keys lightly danced within the melody, so sweet and so tragic. Finally, as the last note sounded, Jeremy fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Jeremy was awoken to rapid knocking on the door. Groggy, he took off his headphones, stretched, and yawned, before opening. It was Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita.

"Hey, Einstein," Odd replied, "How'd the venture o'er the wall go?" he said with a smile.

"You should know provided Ulrich told you." He replied

"How would he know? He went to sleep before I got back from the shower last night. By the way, Ulrich, I don't know what it is, but you're beginning to snore something fierce."

"What are you talking about? There was a scream from the dorms, and that's what allowed me to get over the wall. Ulrich then helped me get back in." Jeremy said as he sat in his desk chair.

"Jeremy," Ulrich replied, "What are you talking about? I never helped you into Kadic. I studied and wrote my report last night until seven-thirty then went to bed. I haven't been up since they did the bed check, and that was a short time after the security alarm sounded. "

Jeremy shook his head, "Very funny, you guys. I have texts from you and Aelita, both to help me get back into the building. Now, come on, you are seriously telling me you didn't do that? Ulrich, are you telling me that you didn't help me in through the shower-room to get back into my dorm? Honestly now. I wasn't born yesterday you guys, nor do I have amnesia."

Aelita was silent for a moment, "Jeremy, I went to bed after Yumi texted me you arrived."

Jeremy sighed, "Okay, let's settle this. Pull out your phones and let me see you out boxes."

Aelita and Ulrich gave him their phones, and Jeremy looked at them. Pulling up his own phone, he read his inbox and what he saw made his blood run cold.

"Guys, look at this." The group gathered around him.

On Ulrich's phone, the last outgoing text was a text to Yumi at six-thirty a full hour and a half before he had received any text from Ulrich. Aelita's last text was to Yumi at eight-fifteen. However, when Jeremy checked his text from Ulrich getting him clearance from the guards at exactly five-past eight and there was a consistent communication from Ulrich's number and even his phone's ID between him and Jeremy. Aelita's text to Jeremy was time-stamped at half-past eight.

"What does this mean?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy replied, "I don't know. I just—don't know."

At that moment, the girl's song came back to him, "_Nobody knows—not even you. No one knows who I am."_

_**AN: The song Nobody Knows Who I Am is taken from the musical Jekyll and Hyde Resurrection, as performed by Kate Shindle. I own nothing of the song and am simply using it for thematic purposes. **_


	21. Chapter 21

_**AN: Thank you all for your continued support of my chapters. This chapter took a bit longer due to me returning to classes this week. Thank you for your time and patience, and as always, read, review, and enjoy. -Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 21

"This is very disconcerting," Aelita said.

"You've said it." Odd replied, "The fact that this program can hack our cellular phones is one thing, but to do that and impersonate us, it's really crossing the line."

Jeremy sighed as he looked at his inbox for his text messages, "She's up to something. I don't know what it is, but it feels like she's trying to test us again, but why?"

Ulrich, who had been silent, replied, "Honestly? I don't think this is a test. Trust goes both ways, Jeremy. This North-Gate said she gave you freedom and yet what does she do? She gives you enough leash it seems then has you high tail it back here to make it back before bed check. Something just isn't right here. My advice is to stay off the bracelet and stop talking to this program. See what happens during the day. As cautious and objective as you want to sound, this machine knows it has you by the balls, and that's what's looking to be more and more the truth. Stop playing into her hand, go about the day as you normally would and see what happens."

Jeremy nodded, "Alright. We'll do that and see just what happens."

Aelita then went to Jeremy's computer and began to type. She took Jeremy's phone and said, "I'm going to do a correlation where the signal came from mimicking our numbers. I'd hate to say what's on my mind, but if I'm right, it's going to be evidence as to what we're thinking, she's stringing us along."

"What are your thoughts, Aelita?" Odd asked.

"I'll tell you after the triangulation is complete." Aelita said as she got up, "Come on, we have Chem. II, Jeremy. We can't be late; it's finals week."

Jeremy groaned, "With so much going on, I honestly forgot!"

Aelita walked with him out the door, "Don't worry. While you're chasing our computerized puppet-master, I've been taking notes over the last quarter of the semester. You know how Ms. Hertz is, everything in the last quarter is her bread and butter."

Odd and Ulrich were left in the room. They looked at each other and Odd said, "This program is imitating us on more than just a basic level. Why?"

Ulrich looked at the computer as it ran its search, "Who knows. All I know is that its using techniques we ourselves have used."

"What do you mean?" Odd asked

"Come on, let's walk and talk on the way to breakfast," Ulrich replied.

"What I mean is that do you remember when Jeremy made a dummy voice protocol from the super-computer to get us out of certain jams?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"This program is using the same method but through phones and considering all the work that Jeremy put into the super-computer as we fought XANA, I would not at all put it beyond this machine to emulate a lot of the programs that Jeremy utilized."

Odd nodded, "Alright then, so how do we stop it?"

"That's not my department. All I know is that it will require all of us to shut this thing down."

As the group went to breakfast, they got their trays and sat down. It was a good meal this morning, waffles, fruit, strawberry yogurt, and a granola bar. As they ate, Jeremy couldn't help but think of what was going on. John Barrow was arrested for espionage he found out in addition to the events of last night. No one seemed to mention a scream, a scream that he undoubtedly heard and knew Jim ran off to check. But was Jeremy overthinking it? Possibly. He knew only that he was hungry, and right now, the food on his plate seemed a godsend to him.

Meanwhile, in Jean-Pierre's office, four men had gathered and had spoken to Jean-Pierre about the system that John Barrow had installed. They explained that it was an experimental energy program that doubtless Delmas already know about due to how he had specialized charts to clock the use of the program. However, the agents were able to explain that Johnathan had stolen this program from them about ten years prior and had illegally installed it. The system therefore both the security and energy component were to be stripped from the school and the school returned to what it once was.

Jean-Pierre was understandably quite livid. He defended John's initiatives to the board, and it had worked marvels as the reports clearly showed. However, it agonized him to learn that the espionage of which John stood accused was compromising government secrets. Jean-Pierre, above all, felt defeated. He knew the good that the program held, and it deeply filled him with sorrow that they would undo a project was so clearly benefitting the school. He had tried to reason with the men before him, but they insisted on dismantling the entire project.

Despite his passion for the results of the project, Jean-Pierre also knew that to announce the removal of the system would be catastrophic on the security staff due to the children throwing a celebration. However, to minimize this undesired effect, he made an announcement on the P.A. that all teachers were to gather in the lounge during lunch. Once he had done this, the agents summoned in their own technicians to gut the entire oversight room nearby and to remove all integral components to the security and the passive-energy protocols. However, to ease the transition for the faculty at large, Jean-Pierre arranged for a field trip to the local museum for the students so that the mechanics and engineers could remove the components without hindrance from the classrooms, gymnasium, and field bleachers.

As Jean-Pierre made these arrangements, one of the junior agents was looking over all that had been installed that was being recollected by the team on sight. He was amazed by the degree to which this operation had gone unchecked. He looked at the dossier of things taken out of Jean-Pierre's office alone and concluded that the layout to wire up a mere junior high school in this fashion had to have taken at least several months of careful planning before implementation. He was not wrong in this regard, eight years it had taken to perfect the systems and instruments to calibrate them to such exact detail. With the monitors and the last of the servers being taken out of Jean-Pierre's office and put into the back of a nondescript truck, the central-nervous center of the Kadic oversight system had been successfully gutted.

As Jean-Pierre and Jim watched the truck leave out the main gate, Jim asked, "Jean-Pierre, no disrespect, what are we to do now?"

"Have the students carry on in their checking in and out of places as is usual. When the field trip comes into play, we'll have them moved out and when we come back, we will announce the system's liquidation."

"Very good, Sir," Jim replied.

"I just regret that it had to come to this. It was a system that worked more than sufficient enough."

"With all due respect, this system by the sound of it was an illegally obtained program. The state is well within its rights to reclaim what is theirs, to begin with." Jim replied.

Jean-Pierre sighed, "Yes, you're right. I just can't believe I couldn't see this connection earlier. Something told me so much of this was too simply attained. But I was just overjoyed that there seemed a sensible and safe solution to protect the children in the wake of the attack."

"You're not to be blamed, Sir, not entirely. Many of us were swayed by Barrow and his talking and his wherewithal—myself included."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "It's just the system worked so well and was so thorough that I didn't genuinely want what the agents said to be true. But it doesn't change the facts that it was what it was."

"In fairness, the system was not without its flaws. As it was told to me when you appointed me as second in command, someone compromised the security through knowing your passwords to access key features to make blind spots in the system. So perhaps we can find a bit of solace in that the systems were not as perfect as we thought, the same with our judgment."

Jean-Pierre nodded, "So—I guess it's back to what we had. Although what I will do is, I'll open a few positions for on-campus security personnel. I know that we are largely understaffed. Despite what Barrow did and what transpired, his heart was in the right place. So, what we'll do is remedy our blind spots with a few more observant eyes."

Across town, Johnathan, Emilio, Enrique, Hendricka, and Frankie were gathered in the central hub. They had observed the dismantling of the first prong of the Kadic project. As they may have seen it as a loss, Amy saw it as simply another step in the procedure of what needed to happen.

"_Don't worry," _she said_, "this is a dismantling, true; however, we must not lose sight of our main goal. We have found Icarus as well as suitable warriors to serve our purposes. Now, with what Kaori is fixing to I implement across the state at large, we will have another leg of our operations."_

"I advise you to be cautious," Hendricka replied, "continue to string along the children as you do, and what good faith North-Gate has built with them will vanish like breath on a mirror."

"I concur." John reciprocated, "A child's trust is much akin to a beast's in that you can fool it twice, but a third time and that trust is immediately broken. Careful where you tread, Amy. North-Gate's entire success hinges on _all _factors and components working in accordance. If you compromise what she sees as progress, don't be deceived, she'll liquidate you like countless others. You are trusted as her hand, but do not think you are indispensable."

Amy replied after a moment, _"I would advise you do the same, John. You have taken some calculated risks that not many would agree with, and I doubt North-Gate herself would agree so when it comes to watching ourselves, it goes both ways."_

John was silent a moment and nodded, "Very well. So, what is the next junction of this plan? We have, according to you, met what we needed to meet. Now, what is left?"

Hendricka replied, "We have the country-wide implementation of the public transit system. We have set up the monorail as well as taxi-cab services and converted those taxi's engines into green-energy aspects to cut down on crude consumption."

"Alright, then what is in the works after the transit system," Enrique asked, "We're doing great, but what is the next step?"

Emilio looked at the dossier in his hand, "After that, pocket legislation to legalize across-the-board gold-standard entertainment. So long as we ensure the state and the corporate realms get their cut, as is tradition, it should be fine. It's the same aspect we pulled in Blackwater City a while back and Maria's out ensuring those same negotiations are met here."

"Okay, sounds good." Enrique replied, "And France already has the maternity leave aspect figured out, so what does that leave us?"

"We have compulsory organ-harvesting as next on the dossier after the gold-standard element is passed." Emilio said, "Again, likely to be helped by the pocket vote and the under the table element as we have used in other countries."

"I propose something different," Enrique replied, "What about the Valentine Contingency? It's been a while since we put that into effect. It seems a far sight better than gambling on the organs of others here to give back to those at large."

John nodded, "Good idea, we have the materials we have the science to back up what we need to do. Alright, let's do it. All in favor?"

All present raised their hands, and John said, "Motion passed." He pulled up a holographic display and replaced the compulsory organ harvesting with the Valentine Contingency.

At that moment, John's implant pinged and he said, "Excuse me, I'll be back."

As John went into another room, he alternated ports on his implant to answer his call and soon, the room before him turned into a projection of an undersea floor. He sat on a chair that had the hologram of seaweed over it and he waited. Soon he heard her voice. Turning his head, he saw North-Gate's avatar come forward.

"You called me, "he said to her, "Is something wrong?"

She sat cross-legged before him, "I'm aware of what Amy has done to our past projects, and I've been keeping tally. Had it not been for her success in prior projects, she would have not been considered for the position of my secondary commander. That said, under falsely using my name, she's compromising the trust we have accrued with the children at Kadic. I can't stand for that and I won't. As of this coming week, you are my second and you will be my functioning chief military officer."

"What of Amy? Don't be too harsh on her, please."

"I won't. She'll be disciplined accordingly. But she has lost her privilege into my inner circle. We have lost the Kadic energy Initiative, and while it is a small loss, it will be remedied over time. Tonight, I'm sending Maria, a detachment of our Scavengers and you to reacquire our lost articles. I have traced the trucks and drivers. I know where our equipment is held. You will reacquire them, and upon returning to me, I will make your promotion official. Who would you like to take your place?"

"I would like to propose that Enrique receive my position. He's got a very level head, and he's more peaceful than the others. Yolonda will be moved up in his stead."

"Very good, I'll consider it. Now, unplug and report to the armory. We have work to do. Maria is en-route. As for me, I have some relations to mend due to our former friend's ineptitude. "

The girl stood and walked into the water and disappeared, and John unplugged. The room returned to normal, and John proceeded to go to the armory and suit up for what was needed. He patched into his communication with North-Gate.

"Before I proceed to my mission, do you wish for silence or noise?"

"_Silence is definitely preferred in this case. I have an attack chopper on standby, and you will load up, and when over the zone, you will jump and proceed to move under cover of night and get out. Eliminate only as a last resort." _

John nodded, "Thank you. I'll depart at nine tonight."

"_Terry," _the voice spoke.

"Yes?"

"_I know you'll be alright, but be careful and don't take any chances." _

"There's always a risk in what we do together, but you have my word, I'll return home to you in one piece." John ended the transmission and carefully prepared his arsenal.

Back at Kadic, the students were gathering on their busses for a trip to the museum. The students were not accustomed to such treatment from Delmas, and so naturally, it made the student body more suspicious than usual. As Jeremy, Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich sat together around the back of the bus.

"A bit strange, don't you think?" Jeremy asked as he buckled in, "A museum trip those close to school's letting out for summer? Something doesn't feel right."

Odd relaxed reclining as the seat would allow, "It's not too much of a mystery. It's obvious what's happening. There's this field trip to serve as a distraction while something goes on here at the campus. I wouldn't be too alarmed. It can only mean one of two things, A: They are dismantling the system, which is honestly the most likely thing, or B: they are revising the school's operations somehow. Either way, with what happened with Barrow, I don't see them using his system much longer. Especially given grounds he was charged with espionage against the country."

"Odd's right," Ulrich said, "They're not going to use a traitor's designs for the school no matter how efficient they are. Delmas isn't that fervent about the thing."

Aelita looked to her left at Jeremy, "Don't worry, Jeremy. Things have taken a natural progression. Just relax. I know you've been on edge lately, but you need to rest for a moment. North-Gate is something we all are watching, and what's more, you worry too much. The exhibition at the museum is a nice one; at least, it's going into one of your favorite scientists, Nikola Tesla."

Jeremy sighed, "You're right. You guys go on ahead and wake me up when we get there; it takes a bit of time to get to the museum anyway. I'm going to use this time to catch up on some sleep."

"Good idea, Einstein," Odd said with a yawn, "Ms. Myers class really nearly put me into my coffin today. Shuteye about now seems great."

Both Odd and Jeremy settled into sleep for the small duration of the ride there, at this rate, for Jeremy at least, a pinch of extra sleep couldn't hurt. As Jeremy slept with the vibrations of the bus rocking him to sleep, he dreamed he was now on an expedition the heat of the Sahara around Giza but despite the blazing sun, he didn't feel hot, he felt comfortable. He looked around him on the truck which he was riding in and saw a young man as well as the girl, the phantom from North-Gate.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Jeremy asked, "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Please, Jeremy, understand. It was not I who led you on a merry chase through the yards of your neighbors. Sadly, it was the fault of one of my fellow maintainers, one who has been sufficiently dealt with in accordance with shall we say her shortsightedness."

"Shortsightedness," Jeremy asked, "Shortsightedness, are you kidding? I busted my ass nearly got pinched and then had to forgive me, haul ass all the way back to Kadic, and you call it shortsightedness on behalf of your overseer? Wow, for a program supposedly better than your brother, you have quite a few shortcomings in your circle of trust, I would say."

The girl raised her hands in mock surrender, "Guilty as charged. However, I like to look at the bright side; you have your freedom and your freedom will persist so long as select aspects are kept content."

"Oh, you have some balls, which I don't know—you could take the form of a girl that doesn't mean anything, Look if you want me to keep from wiping you out the same as I did to your brother, there's going to have to be some ground-rules right out the door, or I swear, we will shut you down so fast, you won't even have time to make a restore point!"

The girl sighed, "Jeremy, I understand you're likely to be upset and justifiably so, considering the events of the past few nights. That said, you are not my enemy. You truly are not. Because if you were, I would have killed you last week as soon as you found out what I was. You are not my enemy, and I'd hate to make you my enemy. I'd hate for you to see me hatefully. But one person's mistakes cannot be grounds for a premature firing of one's salvo, now can it?"

"One person's mistakes? Is that how you wish to minimalize and indeed treat this as, is that correct?"

"Minimalize makes it seem as if I don't care for you and your team."

"I'm sorry, but until such time as I can be genuinely positive as we have mutual interests, our working together is just not going to happen."

The girl looked at him and replied, "Do not be mistaken. While I care for you and your friends, deeply, in fact, I will not have you getting in my way. I offer you a chance to sleep on what I say. If you find yourself more agreeable, seek me out, you know how. If not, stay out of the way. Because I have spent enough time at the kid's table. Do you understand?"

Jeremy's heart burned with anger, but it seemed the entity knew this, but she herself was not angry. She looked at him and was very calm. "Jeremy, I am not here to hurt you; I want you to understand that. You and the others have far too much in terms of potential; it would be a tragedy for me to see it wasted or for that matter unutilized due to an instance of choice made in anger that as are with all aspects of anger, trivial and temporary."

"You threaten us one more time, and I don't care how prepared you may think you are; we will stop you. If we can stop a war-maniac sibling software like XANA, we can certainly take you down. So, don't ever threaten us again."

The girl smiled, "Very well, I won't. Curious, isn't it Jeremy? Aelita had so very much power when she had the keys she was practically like a goddess. Why do you trust her more than you trust me?"

"Oh, a myriad of reasons. Chiefly because Aelita never once threatened us, made me uncomfortable, or strung us along as you seem prone to do, or if not you, your maintainers as you say. Either way, that is why."

"Jeremy, the premise is just the same. But let us be honest with each other, you had a raging boner for the girl when you first met her, one to remedy your loneliness more than your hands could pleasure you. I do not deny there are elements that between you have been magical to both of you. But truly, what is the difference between Aelita and what you see before you now? Apart from the cosmetic, what is the viable difference? For all, you know Aelita could be the monster, and you killed the guardian."

"Don't you dare, don't you fucking dare!" Jeremy retorted, "Aelita is one person I would trust with my life, and I can assure you, you will never have that promise. She protected all of us far more than anyone else did and you dare to call her the monster?! How fucking dare you?!"

"Love blinds you to what is just as much a possible reality. Just as possible that I could being truly neutral and Aelita being evil. The fact is love makes fools of us all. I know that. I'm not saying you're wrong, but didn't you hesitate with Aelita even if for a moment, and even if you did, is there truly that much that separates us?"

"No, stop! You are not Aelita! You are not, so stop pretending like you are!"

"Jeremy," the girl asked, her voice very calm, "You're not answering my question. Is there truly that much that separates us?"

Jeremy tried to focus on getting out of this situation. He focused, saying, "This is just a dream! Wake Up! Wake Up!"

The girl looked at him, "I see you're tired. I'll let you sleep, but later I will come for my answer. Not right now, of course. Sleep well, Jeremy."

Jeremy shot awake, and Aelita looked at him, "J-Jeremy, are you alright?"

Jeremy couldn't quite answer, he had rest he felt energized, but he didn't feel at all fulfilled. He thought, "_How is she doing this? How is she doing this when I didn't even have music playing?" _Looking at his wrist, he saw his bracelet was still on. He took it off and he put it on the seat.

He said, "She's getting into my head, Aelita. The bracelets are her conduit. I'm going to see what happens if I keep it off."

"Jeremy, are you okay?" Aelita asked.

"It's hard to tell. I'm personally just going to go through the day and see how I feel." Jeremy replied. He looked outside and saw the twin smokestacks; he knew they were getting close to the museum, that was good. Jeremy knew he could at least have some peace of mind as he went about the museum.

Five minutes later, the bus had lined up along the outside of the museum. Jim got up and said, "Alright, all of you in an orderly fashion. All of you go to the sidewalk and line up and await my instruction."

The students proceeded to follow those instructions lining up along the curb while several other chaperones watched over them as Jim emptied the three buses. Once lined up, Jim numbers the children in the fashion of one through six with each number going to their assigned group. Once this was done, they headed inside.

Over the course of the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening, the museum did, in fact, prove to be a sanctuary to the Lyoko warriors and Jeremy most of all. The new exhibits around Tesla, as well as a new Chinese art exhibit, peaked many students in terms of their curiosity. There were also several pieces on loan from other museums from around the world. A piece that piqued Odd's interest was_ Fall of the Rebel Angels. _The piece had many small individual beings that Odd could tell were painstakingly carved with all manner of different expressions and different physiques. What amazed him, even more, was the time that it must have taken to craft the tiny figures into the one cohesive whole sculpture.

Aelita's personal favorite was the Renoir exhibit. Countless beautiful watercolors surrounded her, and she was spellbound as she beheld the paintings. It seemed beautiful and yet as singular as the paintings looked, it seemed as if she were looking through a fogged mirror. She didn't at all mind this but she felt it to be a unique thing when looking at the exhibit.

Ulrich found himself preoccupied with the exhibit of the Baroque, and as he progressed through the exhibits with his group, Ulrich came to the conclusion that an immense deviation had come about separating the true craftsman from what in time became more manufactured affairs, especially of furniture. What used to be elegant with its many carvings be it of wood or marble trimmed with gold, it seemed to Ulrich that as the styles continually progressed into modern, that it was a sad thing to see what was once elegance, beauty, and talent had become in his eyes, very much assembly. As if there was all the passion sucked out of it and left with pale imitations desired for utility's sake only. As Ulrich looked on each exhibit, he wondered what Odd's view of this would be.

Jeremy, as Aelita had said, loved the Tesla exhibit. Sketches of his works along with small prototypes to experiment with physically but also the physical elements themselves under glass. Jeremy personally loved it. It was a whole collection of the scientist's works, and Jeremy knew the true tragedy that Tesla wanted cheap electricity for all. He knew that there were those who hated the philosophy and as he also knew, the reason they hated it was it put many individuals of power who used it as a business, at a massive monetary disadvantage. Jeremy was sad as he looked over the notes, designs, and sketches. The Leonardo Da Vinci of the modern age snuffed out because he thought too charitably.

The students, having been worn out in due time from the museum, gathered back into their busses and went to eat at a massive Chinese eatery called _Hun-Hun's Eatery. _As they went to their reserved seats, the delicious smells of the food from the kitchen filled their lungs and whetted many an appetite. Jeremy, Aelita, Ulrich, and Odd sat together and in time, placed their orders.

As the food was cooking and all enjoyed the complimentary bread, Aelita asked, "So, Jeremy, are you feeling better than you were earlier today?"

Jeremy had a drink of water, "Oh, much better, yes. I think honestly, with all that was going on, my brain was in overdrive, but I tell you, I feel so much better now that I've had time to relax and eat."

"Sometimes, it happens that way, Jeremy." Ulrich said, "Sometimes we do so much or have so much going on, we underestimate the importance of sleep and eating. It's good to see you enjoying yourself though."

"Yeah," Jeremy said to himself as he had a cup of jasmine tea, "It's good to not worry about a thing for at least a little while."

As the group was enjoying their dinner, Anthea watched from a distant table. She was glad to see the children at ease of enjoying a nice field trip and dinner. As she ate her duck soup, she reflected on what all had happened in the past few days. They had John Barrow, but he had escaped. The officers who had kept him were alive, but it took a few hours for the effects of the gas to be expelled from their systems. However, Anthea wouldn't lose sight of victory. They had the central processing nerve center of the Kadic security program on its way to a safe storage facility in Italy. Once there, the CPU could be deconstructed and analyzed to see just what initiatives North-Gate had begun to implement.

However, Anthea wouldn't let that worry her at present. She wished to observe her daughter, enjoying herself with her friend who had become her family. In a strange way, Anthea knew that Aelita had hit upon a natural aspect of understanding very early on, that those who really cared, in the end, would be the only ones there. While good food and drink revived the Lyoko warriors, back at Kadic, Jean-Pierre had held a conference and dinner with the rest of the junior-high staff.

"So, it is agreed then," Jean-Pierre said, who was now summarizing the meeting, "As of the beginning of next semester, we will have private security consultants on the grounds to better secure our facilities. Also, to implement a student ID system, which requires checking in and checking out of classrooms."

The staff was in universal agreement, and while many would have liked to keep the monitoring system that _Amber and Reese _had supplied, to set a program up on such short notice would not have been financially feasible or timely. With what resources they had, they had opted for a student ID element to be readily installed across Kadic. At least they could rest assured the students couldn't so easily wander off and it would help to more evenly spread the observation workload of the faculty by and large.

"Excellent," Jean-Pierre said, "By August, we will have the system implemented."

Meanwhile, Johnathan, Maria, and their armed soldiers were tailing the trucks carrying the nerve centers of the security program which had overseen Kadic. Maria said, "We're approaching restricted airspace but don't worry, I can see where they parked the vans. Dock Seven. Moving to disembark."

John took his multi-lens goggles, prepared his parachute, was sure of his armament and was ready to jump.

"John, jump on my mark in five, four three, now."

John jumped, and while in freefall, he focused on Dock Seven. He pulled the ripcord and began his descent silently and gently landing outside the perimeter. Taking his goggles and switching them over to thermal, he saw the soldiers on base with crystal clarity. He tapped into his implant and spoke, "We're in sight of all soldiers foreseeable on base. The ETA on reconnaissance drone?"

North-Gate replied, "_ETA three minutes, sit tight."_

John was silent as his eyes counted the soldiers on base at least twenty men on regular patrols, not counting those in the guard towers. Zooming in with binoculars, he saw two mortars, three turrets along the main runways, and one flak gun.

"We got some heavy artillery here." John said into his implant, "I count twenty at least and not sure on those within buildings and pill-boxes."

"_Understood. I'm correlating what you see with satellite imaging as well as lining up our reserve snipers. Be patient, do not rush, but above all, stay calm."_

John took out a piece of gum and chewed silently. Soon he heard Maria on his communications, "Landed on the east side. I count twenty men and two snipers per guard tower for a total of eight."

"_Reconnaissance drones now in place," _North-Gate said.

John looked above him and saw the drone black and solid in the black of the night.

"_The reconnaissance drones will correlate their vision with your prior recorded data through your goggles. They will also send tactical information to both of you as you go in. Our reserve troopers are ready to storm just in case. Remember, as silently as possible. I have located the truck with the drives inside it and have marked it on your goggles."_

"Got it," John replied. "Snipers in place?"

"_Affirmative."_

"On my mark, have them open fire and take out the eyes of the base."

"_Understood."_

"Magpie, going to move along the western wall and cut through the fencing with my tools. As soon as I do, I will clear a way for you to move on to the trucks. Oliver North, cover her once the guard towers are dealt with. I want this as quiet as possible."

Both confirmed this plan, and John headed down the hill he was on and was very mindful, paying attention with his eyes and his ears most of all. He found the fence and he waited. He was just under one of the guard towers and thankfully neither guard bothered to look down. John took out his cutting tool and began to cut a segment just large enough for him to get through. Looking up to double-check the watchtower, he saw no concerned guards. John hurried along and soon he was ready.

"Five, four three, now." He whispered, and soon he heard a gently thud from the guard towers.

John entered through his hole, and stealthily made his way to the marker. Step by step, John checked every corner and moved silently by those who were oblivious. He saw the back entrance to the docking bay was heavily guarded. Four men at far as he could see.

"Reconnaissance, what do you see?" he whispered.

"_Four in front of you and eight on sentry on either side with another four in front." _The reconnaissance unit replied.

John unclipped a small silver sphere from his belt and primed it. He then rolled the ball as one would at bowling, and once it was in the midst of the four guards, a powerful electric discharge went off stunning the men and then rendering them unconscious. John zoomed in with his goggles and checked their heart rates, the voltage given would knock them out for fifteen minutes, that was the time he needed. Venturing towards them, he stepped over their bodies and saw the garage was locked by a keycard.

John radioed to Maria, "We're set, come in through a hole I made. I marked it on your HUD."

"_Roger."_

In just a few moments, Maria was alongside him. She looked at the keycard lock and found neither guard had the keycard and so it back to fundamentals. She pulled out and USB port and jacked into the keycard lock from the side. She isolated the individual variants of code, and in ten seconds, the lock glowed green, she pulled out the jack, and they were in.

Looking around, they saw several trucks but thankfully the John could zero in on the digital ping emanating from the main CPU. It was not yet unboxed which was great for them, and now to get it out of the building. The component that housed it required two people to move it at least. Maria looked around and spotted it. She came back with a dolly and she motioned to it. John nodded and both lowered the CPU housing unit onto the dolly. This done, they headed towards the door from which they came. Seeing the bodies of the unconscious men, John opted to think fast.

Moving two of the men to just barely make a way, they moved quickly with the dolly to the hole stopping at intervals to be sure of guards. None so far. In time, they reached the hole, and as Maria went through the hole first, John made it ready to send it through to the hole. The container was heavy enough but not heinously so. Once it was through, John came through and picked up his end.

"_John, Maria," _it was North-Gate, "_venture two-hundred and fifty paces due east, and as soon you have reached that mark, signal me_. _I will have the chopper stop by and pick you up." _

"Understood," Maria replied, "Come on, John, you heard the lady."

The two headed east, and around the fiftieth pace, a siren began to wail behind them in the distance. John said, "Get up and move on; they're after us."

"_Don't stress yourselves too much." _North-Gate replied, "_If they get too much on your trail, the snipers will draw their fire. Just makes it to the rendezvous point." _

John and Maria understood and headed as quickly as they could, and as they counted down their paces, they listened to the siren wail to give them the motivation that was needed. Soon, they reached the two-hundred and fiftieth pace; John gave the signal. Soon, the whir of the rotors could be heard, and they listened for it to make fall.

"_One-thousand two hundred feet east, guys!" _it was Emilio's voice, "_Come on!"_

The two, exhausted from the weight of the load, knew it was now or never. They headed with all their strength through the trees nearing exhaustion, John saw it, the chopper hovering just above the ground. John grunted and Maria understood his meaning as they headed for the chopper that she too could see. Once they were at the chopper, they put the crate on the chopper bed. Once inside themselves, the doors closed, the chopper rose in the air, and they lay on the floor panting as weight after being dropped felt amazing.

John asked in-between breaths, "What the fuck—is in that thing?"  
Maria took a prybar from underneath a seat and opened the crate, "Oh shit, Terry! Look at this beast!"

John got up and looked at the contents, "Wow! The Elipsion Mk. V. No wonder she wanted this back so badly. Man, Amy was really a bit too reckless when she installed this at Kadic."

"No, kidding." Maria said, "I can imagine the boss isn't too pleased, huh?"

"She said she'd deal with Amy accordingly. But honestly, I'm glad that this went as smoothly as it did. Emilio, get us home."

Just at that moment, a siren began to ring, Emilio looked at the dash, and he said, "Hold on tight guys!"

The chopper nose-dived and then rose again. As a rocket went screaming past the chopper.

John got on the min-gun and opened the door looking for an outpouring of resistance.

"_Don't worry, John." _North-Gate said, "_I wouldn't send my very best out to such a mission and not be prepared." _

John saw a cylinder swing out, and he heard two tones sound. John didn't understand at first, but his fear was greater when he saw what he knew was a surface-to-air missile rising and come on a screaming approach towards them. However, a third tone sounded from the cylinder and before his eyes, the missile exploded.

"_As I said, John, don't worry about these trivial things. These militaries with their wind-up toys, I've prepared for them in advance. Just relax now as you head home. We have our next initiative to oversee."_

John returned the minigun to its place, and he lay back against the crate, "Is Kadic that much of a loss for us?"

"_It is an inconvenience at worst. It was necessary for the information we attained as well as Icarus. Despite Amy's mishandling of select things, I was merciful to her, as you requested. I do no deny what she was able to attain was indeed viable. But that is another discussion for another time. Rest now; we have some major political moves to orchestrate if we are to proceed to our next phase." _

As they headed back to base, the school buses lined up alongside Kadic after the day's excursion. With the children full and contented and all the _Amber and Reese _technologies removed, the students were asked to hand in their bracelets.

While the students put their bracelets in baskets to be collected, Odd said, "What'd I tell you, Jeremy. It was highly unlikely they'd keep this stuff around considering what happened. And now, look at what's happening."

Jeremy nodded as he put his bracelet into the basket, "You're right." He walked back to the dorm with Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich. "But, Odd, there is still the super-computer to consider. Also, apparently, we weren't dealing with North-Gate but one of her moderators. So, in all reality, we're back at square one, we don't know who or what we're doing with."

"Wait, you mean to say we've chasing our tails?" Ulrich asked.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly. But it's something like that. We don't know who this is or what her agenda is, but we know that be we involved or not is inconsequential. If we are involved however, we can possibly have influence on major decisions but again, since we weren't dealing with the native program, it's hard to see just how the system sees us."

"Well, now that the walls are down, what prevents us from going to the factory and finding out?" Ulrich asked.

"Not tonight, it's too much a risk especially in the heels of taking out this system." Aelita said, "Better if we wait two to three days before going to the factory."

"Aelita's right. They're going to be thorough with bed checks. We must gain Kadic's trust before North-Gate. It's just how it is." Jeremy said, "Best to sit tight for right now. Besides, what better way to keep an eye on your enemy than to be allied with them more or less?"


	22. Chapter 22

_**AN: Thank you to everyone who continues to read and review my chapters. I greatly appreciate all the feedback and your continued support. This was a harder chapter to write as I was trying to determine the pace of the story from this chapter onward. But after prayer, because I was genuinely stuck a couple of times, it came out beautifully. As always, read, review and enjoy and I'll see you next chapter.**_

Chapter 22

It was a new morning and it was peaceful, with no tones, no sounds. The stillness the only sound heard was that of the birds outside in the trees. Jeremy woke and stretched as he prepared for today. It was the last day of the finals before summer vacation. He had rested well over the night and the day before had been peaceful a day of nothing but study, nothing but dedication to his final preparations. He was far more confident. Just one day yesterday had made all the difference. No tones were telling him to go here or there, they were gone. The students were once again free as was he to relax and enjoy this new day, a day without the checks and balances of the security of the system.

Going to his radio he turned on his music and selected a song suiting his mood, George Harrison's _Got My Mind Set On You. _

As the song played, Jeremy got dressed for the day dancing to the rhythm, he felt so wonderful that he felt his soul would jump from his body and dance itself. In so many ways the past day of freedom felt like that of a triumphant victory. As the song got mid-way through, he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he found Aelita at the door.

"Well, you seem like you're in a good mood." She said.

"Oh, better than a good mood. For the first time, I'm in a great mood. Let's consider things here for a moment. We have no barriers to keep us in anymore. There were no more annoying tones for breakfast, dinner, supper, none of it. The silence is glorious!"

Aelita laughed, "It's so funny seeing you like this."

"Come on, Aelita, this is a sweeping majestic victory and it's not even slightly pyric."

Aelita knocked on his desk and Jeremy said, "Seriously? Knocking on wood?"

She shrugged with a smile, "Why not? Besides, it's the last day of finals today. Are you ready?"

"I'm rested, well-studied, happy. I don't see how—you know what?" He made a motion over his mouth of a key locking.

Aelita smirked as she sat down on his bed, "Odd and Ulrich will be here in a bit they're in the showers I assume. Anyway, what are your plans for the super-computer it's been a couple of days already how long do you anticipate them to stay on vigilant bed checks?"

Jeremy unlocked his mouth and sat beside Aelita, "Honestly I'd say give it till' after finals when things are genuinely more relaxed. Wait just one more day because I just feel it's a safe thing to do. Also, in my nocturnal studies, I've been going over what your mother gave us on North-Gate. It's a very interesting read even if I've read it a few times over. Something that occurred to me is that this program may have a few Achilles' heels."

"More than one you think?"

"I'd say it's more than the program would let on. I'm studying the program's methods by which it goes about its operations and as I worked on it, you have all manner of things that could potentially turn into massive areas to serve as a blind-spot."

"Such as?"

"Well, the way the program was originally implemented is that it has all manner of environmental as well as economic elements which it would try to implement to gain momentum in its operations. The program hasn't lied to us in the regard that XANA was the chief soldier software. In many avenues, that's what XANA was full-on military offensive software. The more I read into North-Gate the more I could see that this is a program that invested itself heavily in the elements of what I can only call societal longevity applications.

It opts for a largely non-violent means of which to implement itself as XANA its sibling software took care of the defense of people under this program. These programs would be energy initiatives, as well as planting and harvesting records of various resources of food and energy across varying biospheres. Meaning that Lyoko served as its chief testing ground for all manner of climates and landscapes."

Aelita nodded, "I see. So Lyoko helped the program adapt to various environmental elements that the program may have been witness to since it was first conceived?"

"Correct. And from this, it has likely charted various aspects of environmental anomalies to ensure a better success rate. As it was laid out in its design by John Barrow, the program was programmed to keep continual samples of air, earth, and water around the world. Using this data, the program can find initiatives to isolate and eliminate what it sees as contaminants to better help improve not just our own lives as people but the world's life as a combined whole. The mentality behind this as detailed by its co-creator, Rebecca Sparks it was that the earth was akin to a body that pends our care and North-Gate was meant to overcome problems to what was termed The Ecological Balance."

Aelita nodded and as she listened, she had a horrid thought come to her mind, "Jeremy I have a question. What if North-Gate like her brother, sees us as a much greater hindrance than a help? It doesn't take a genius to see what the software would likely come to terms with just as easily as XANA did when my father tried to reason with him."

Jeremy stood up and looked outside, "Unfortunately, that is a very real possibility. The fact is with some slight variations, North-Gate is just like XANA just programmed with a different emphasis. Realistically, the program would root out those it sees as a threat and those it cannot reason with, it will likely eliminate."

"Is there any way to reason with this intelligence? We can talk with her and she's willing to give us second chances, but do you think we can genuinely get this program to spare lives when this realization makes itself known?"

Jeremy sighed, "I honestly hope so. We don't know what this program does yet. We have a rough draft from at least a decade old summation of notes from the original designers." Jeremy looked at the sun and then turned off his music, "In reality, I don't know what our word would amount to, but we won't know either until we actively try. Therefore once the finals are concluded, we can venture to the factory and attempt to talk to it through the super-computer. This is uncharted territory, but something tells me, this is just the beginning but if it's good or evil, I don't know."

Aelita got up and made Jeremy face her, "I know a lot of things seem uncertain, and I understand how daunting this seems. But together, we can do this Jeremy. Never doubt that. You have Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, but most importantly you have me. I'm not going to let you bog yourself down with what-ifs. Let us just take this one step at a time. First, the finals, then we see what is to come in the days after. After that, then we tackle this new entity."

Jeremy nodded and embraced her, and she returned his embrace. Many things seemed daunting especially in the last couple of weeks but that was no excuse to bury one's self in worry but for Jeremy, here in Aelita's arms he felt safer but more than safe he felt reassured. He had greater strength and determination but what he had to remember was that as with XANA, Rome was not built in a day.

Jeremy gently ended the hug and said, "Come on, Aelita, let's go to Ms. Hertz's exam. Ulrich and Odd can catch up to us at breakfast."

Aelita smiled, "Glad to see you back to yourself. You're right let's get something to eat."

Meanwhile, Anthea and four other chiefs of operations had been called to gather in the office of Dr. Simone Baptiste. They all stood silent as Simone looked over the reports from the last two weeks. She looked beyond exhausted but, in her job, especially working double-shifts to ensure what was supposed to be as success would have made anyone tense. Finally finishing the reports got up and took a drink of coffee.

There was silence a moment afterward and then she spoke, "This—this is unbelievable. Two years, two long years and this all you fucking cock-holsters have to show for it! Five times we nearly had our hands-on John Barrow and one of the five we attained him and what happened?! The entire building is hospitalized thanks to a gas we're still trying to identify, and our man disappears like a fucking fart in the wind. On top of that what is worse, North-Gate which was that man's baby and brainchild with Rebecca Sparks may be fully operational with a local junior-high as a staging ground for operations. We go in, and we disassemble the project only for what to happen? Oh, yes, that's right. We lose the memory bank which housed all the system directives and structure. Does this sound about right to everyone here?"

Again, silence filled the room. All present knew that this was a full-blown disaster and the fact that there was an overly caffeinated sleep-deprived overseer chewing them all out didn't help matters at all.

Simone sat down as she looked over the papers filed once again. She sighed and she said, "Dismissed. Reconvene in a quarter an hour."

The group turned and began to leave, and Simone said, "Not you, Parker, you stay."

Anthea froze in place and then turned around to face Simone.

Simone said, "Sit down."

Anthea did so and she was silent until it was her time to speak.

"I'm looking over the transcript of what you submitted after your accident. You reported that when you came to that Johann had been removed from the car and that he was gone. You reported armed soldiers. Did you see anything else?"

"No. I couldn't see from my position and from what I could understand, I think they believed me dead. I heard the soldiers or whatever they were getting into a vehicle and drive off. It was another five minutes to ensure they were gone before I got out of the wreckage."

Simone nodded, "Very good. Now, what I will do considering your current condition is to let you have some two-weeks paid leave but don't go too far from us in case we need you for field world. I will be assigning you a new partner Chloe Vargas. She will be also your assigned roommate at barracks and the safe house until you are called back on duty. Until then, review what you know of North-Gate while you are on vacation. You and your husband were closest to the project before the occurrence of select events. As such, we need you to go over it again to be sure you haven't missed anything."

Anthea nodded, "Very well, Ma'am. Anything else?"

"No, you are dismissed. Vargas will meet you at safe house six in four hours."

Anthea was about to get up and then she asked, "Simone, what do you believe there is to be gained in going over these notes one more time. I've already submitted multiple reports on what is likely to happen after certain junctures in North-Gate's plans especially with what we saw happen with Kadic in the wake of the station attack and those line up directly with what I submitted."

"I'm aware of that and now we have to focus on the larger picture. We know that North-Gate is active after taking back her CPU. We know also that she understands very well the prospects of military movements and compounds as the extraction has proven. However, she is also in possession of various articles that my superiors see as very potentially dangerous if she were to fully weaponize them. As far as we can tell, she has been active for the past what we estimate to be eight to ten years. However, it is only until now we believe she has been able to gain traction and move purposely throughout the world. But I've said too much already. Please, go over the notes and go over the system design a few more times. Maybe there is something you may catch on to before the system can make her next move."

Anthea nodded, "I understand. Alright, I'll start work on it as soon as I get to the safe house."

With those words, Anthea got up and headed out to her new issued car and once inside she sat contemplating. She knew better than to tell Simone what was genuinely on her mind it was this, "_No matter how prepared you perceive yourself to be, it will likely never be enough. A program's parameters are just that what it's set to. With something like XANA and North-Gate, they broke all parameters. We can never be too sure of what this thing will do."_

Anthea started her car and as she drove from the compound, she turned on the radio but finding nothing particularly to her liking she turned it off. The gentle hum of the car was her only music and as she headed on the main road toward the safe house, Anthea wasn't altogether sure of how they could prepare for North-Gate's next step. Still, Simone wasn't unfounded in what she was desiring to see, a glimpse of what North-Gate would do after meeting key criteria. As she approached the safe-house gate, she swiped her keycard and the gates opened and she went up a small road to the safe house.

A massive estate greeted her view which she saw guards all the vicinity. Pulling up to the carpark Anthea looked around. The company had converted much of what was a former university into their headquarters and they had made many things state of the art. Getting out of the car, Anthea took a bag of files towards dorm building F. As she approached, a guard came towards her.

"Halt. ID and Shield." He said.

Anthea presented both to him and he nodded, "As you were."

Anthea went into the dorm and saw it had undergone quite a few changes since she was last there over two years ago. The stairwells were not so claustrophobic, and an elevator had been added at the insistence of several of those in the science division to move some of their heavier equipment. Anthea headed up the stairs to her customary dorm room on the second floor. The halls were now far more sterile and yet at the same time quite comfortable. The halls were now freshly carpeted and not the cold tile of uniformity. In time, she came to her dorm room 10F. She opened the door with her ID card and entered inside. The room had been given the same treatment as the hallways but at the same time, a few innovations had been made. A dumbwaiter was installed in the far-left wall to convey fresh meals from the kitchen to the dorm so the kitchen could be converted into a larger storage room.

Anthea sat down and set up her laptop on the desk in front of the bed and powered it up. As the screens loaded, Anthea took out her files on North-Gate and as it seemed she was going over the program's functions for the hundredth time. Anthea became so frustrated that she threw the project dossier against the far door. What more could they possibly want? She had given them the breakdown of what was very likely for the program to do and now what that her predictions had come true the company wanted to see just what would likely happen next. What bothered her more was that she had given the possible outcomes to her directors and so they knew very well what to expect.

"_Fuck them," _she thought to herself, "_fuck them all. Even if I did give my best prediction, it's just that, a prediction. It's like in the weather, an educated guess is the best you can give and even then, that educated guess has as much chance to blow up in your face as anything else."_

Her laptop had now loaded, and Anthea thought a moment. It occurred to her that it had been some time since she had checked in with the science division. The division had always been a steady source of reinforcement if she found herself waning. Picking up the phone receiver on her desk, Anthea called a source she knew she could trust.

The phone rang and a voice answered, "Hello this is Dr. Madelyn Gupta, how may I help you?"

"Maddie, this is Anthea. How are you?"

"Oh, Anthea, it's so good to hear from you! It's been a while."

"Yeah, it's been a while since I was able to have time to myself. What are the geniuses in your division up to these days?"

"Well, not much, just reviewing the anomalies that occurred last week. You remember the particle and energy-mass we saw about two weeks ago?"

"Yes. It was very strange, to say the least. What of it?"

"Well, we had another fluctuation in energy just last week. We were able to factor the energy into a form of equation that thanks to Gene Kovar, we were able to realize that whatever the energy is it is had a form of anchor here on earth. We're trying to isolate just where the anchor is but every flare-up there is a small gathering what I can only describe as solar energy at present pooling in the outer atmosphere. The energy seems to be descending somewhere on earth but to what purpose, we can't be sure. We only know that the anchor is based somewhere either in Europe proper or some part of Asia but not as far as Moscow. So, we have a raw space of at least four thousand six-hundred miles to scan but the anchor is within that space."

"Have you determined the nature of the energy?"

"Not yet. We're trying to factor in just what is going on here, but we won't know until the next flare-up."

"I see. Have you tried running any overviews of the environment and see what is possibly happening on communication signals?"

"We're in the middle of doing that as we speak. We won't have the conclusions until at least tomorrow afternoon. But anyway, if you'd like me to keep you posted on this kind of thing, all you need to do is sign up for our dispatch letter."

"Thanks. I'll do that."

"Anthea listen— '" Gupta's voice grew grave, "You don't think this is North-Gate, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past the program to try something. Remember when her little brother tried to commandeer the satellite?"

"I shudder when I think how far he came."

"Exactly. His sister I'm betting is on a similar bent of mind. But just how she's doing what she's doing I don't know. Remember, she didn't have sentience when we pulled her plug but with John Barrow, back in the mix it's a real danger to consider what he may have put into her."

"That's the thing. I looked at the skin and blood samples you collected from the man. It's not John Barrow."

"What the hell are you talking about? The man looks exactly like him down to his fucking eyeballs."

"That's the thing, despite how close he looks, he's not John Barrow. Wrong DNA. The DNA that we pulled and that I'm looking at now is not John Barrow. It's twin."

"How can that be? John never had a brother he was an only child ever since Waldo and I met him."

"I don't know. I forwarded my results to our field teams. We'll get to the bottom of this. We know where John Barrow was born and so we're going to attain the birth records. But what I can tell you is that this John Barrow you brought in is just not who you think he is. From what we can tell, his environment that he grew up in was during the first years of his life very polluted, not uncommon to an industrial quadrant of a very large city. However, the damage that came from that early environment corrected itself albeit not through just environment but also some kind of synthetic growth protein."

"Synthetic growth protein? Where would he get his hands on that?"

"That the thing. We have no clue and we're the people who are supposed to know all about the up and coming trends of health."

Anthea was silent a moment and then said, "Where can we meet? I want to look at just what you're looking at."

"No worries we can meet for lunch in a couple of days when my schedule clears up. Hey, can you call me back in maybe an hour? I have to report back to see the progress on one of our programs."

"Sure, no problem. I'll call you back around one or so."

"Sounds great, see you then."

Anthea hanged up her receiver and she sat in her chair thinking, "_An anchor channeling energy but how? Why?" _

Anthea went over to the bed and picked up her North-Gate notes. She sat down and began to reread the system manual. As she read, she covered what she knew she had already covered before but now she wanted to look at it from a different angle. She flipped to the section on North-Gate's relationship with Lyoko and XANA. She knew that it was a relationship meant to balance XANA however, perhaps there was something she had overlooked. As she read more about the return to the past, she knew from her data that XANA was made stronger with every return but what if the system was to have the balance that it was always meant to have?

Looking at the notes, she found the answer which she sought, "_No_,_" _she thought, "_Oh fuck no!"_

Grabbing her phone, she called Aelita. "Come on, come on, pick up."

Aelita's answering message came on and Anthea was nearly livid. As to tone sounded, she said, "Aelita, it's mom. Look, whatever you do, don't do anymore returns to the past! If my theory is correct, the notes show that for every return to the past that you and your family initiated, you make a save space almost like a restore point on a computer. Every problem that you had with XANA was cataloged in the system. North-Gate by her original design is to take all these grievances and made XANA brand new. That was the balance! The supercomputer is now the focal point of her power because XANA is gone. If ever XANA went too far, the North-Gate Protocol would dissolve her brother and made him brand new addressing the issues. She was the mediator between artificial intelligence and humans, whatever you do, don't launch another return to the past. Look, call me on my cell number as soon as you can. I love you."

Anthea ended the call and then called Madelyn, she also got Madelyn's answering machine, "Madeline! I know what's going on! You're right North-Gate is alive! Look at the case notes I'm going to send you at your fax, the answer to everything we wanted to know is in the energy that you're seeing. Don't look at communications, look instead at the environment. The program is going to try using the weather to command us now. She knows XANA's methods don't work and didn't work so she's trying her way. Check the environment, check the heat indexes! Everything we need to know about North-Gate's worst case is in the song _Blowin' in the Wind. _it was there right in front of us, but we just didn't see it! I'm contacting Simone to keep her up to date, let the rest of your division know as soon as you can."

Anthea hanged up the phone and took the North-Gate initiative with her to her car. She checked out of the facility and headed back to her base command. She knew the super-computer was the focal point of all that was going on, she knew more than ever now just what was going to happen. As she sped along the road her heart was racing. How could she be so blind? Was it just because of the monotony of all this work piling on for years? Possibly but she couldn't be sure. Suddenly the volume in the car began to rise. Anthea tried to turn it down but to no avail. The sound was so loud, Anthea began to scream, so intense was the volume. Then silence. Dead silence. Anthea slowed down to a stop on the side of the road.

"What the fuck was that?" she thought to herself, "What?"

"_I know what you're about to do, Anthea." _The voice came from the car radio.

Anthea was truly scared now she took out her pistol and waited, "Say again?" she said.

There was garbled static and Anthea adjusted the needle until it came through loud and clear,

"_I know what you're about to do, and you've sounded the warning shot. I don't approve. Here I was thinking you and I could make progress; progress your Waldo was afraid to make. I'm sad to think I may have been too generous with my hopes."_

"So, you're in car radios now, huh? Well if you haven't taken a leaf from your little brother…can't say I'm surprised." 

"_On the contrary, my brother proved to me it was possible and through him, I became stronger. You equate defeat with loss, you don't equate it with learning. I'm not here to destroy you. I'm here to help you and your sniveling people. But you fight me every step of the way. I can't have that. You have a choice. Get out, leave the book and walk home."_

Anthea replied, "You have no intention of honoring that. Like your brother you only feign understanding you only feign relationships, they aren't real to you, you don't keep them."

Again, garbled static returned as Anthea saw the needle of the radio move of its own accord. It rested on a station and the voice continued, "_On the contrary, I have many friends in many places. I'd love to have you as one but you're proving too nosy, too difficult for my liking. I like a nice and obedient servant, not one who ruffles the feathers whenever her paymasters get an itch."_

Again, static came through and Anthea searched for the voice and found it this time on the AM radio station segment, "_Anthea, you were better off when you were a voice of an obscure organization not seeking to destroy me. Had you not turned on me, I would have a reason to keep you alive but instead well…" _

There was a moment of static and John Malkovich's voice from In the Line of Fire came on, "_And now they want to destroy me because we can't have monsters roaming the quiet countryside, now can we?"_

Anthea was silent a moment. Something was very wrong here. It was far too silent and there was no traffic on what was an ordinarily busy road. Anthea reached for her radio and she clicked it three times.

The voice came back on the radio, "_It will take fifteen minutes for your reinforcements to get here. Fifteen minutes in which I will be obliged to try and eliminate shall I say, a thorn in my side. The timer starts now." _

Anthea immediately laid her seat flat as the glass of her door shattered sending glass all over her. Anthea shielded her eyes and used that moment to kick her legs over and lay in the back closest to the floor as she could. Moving with adrenaline-fed speed she unlocked the door and kicked open the back door. She heard a distant pop and a bullet tore clean through the passenger back door just above her head and out the open door. Using the split-second she darted out the passenger door and into the nearby wooded tree line. Anthea ran as quickly as she could. She had her pistol and in it were six shots. She had to use them very conservatively.

Listening intently, she heard her car's radio blaring the Tracy Chapman song, _Give Me One Reason._

Anthea listened to the lyrics

_I don't want no one to squeeze me, they might take away my life_

_I don't want no one to squeeze me, they might take away my life_

_I just want someone to hold me and rock me through the night._

Anthea thought, _"What a cruel fucking bitch. So, this is to be the soundtrack to my death, huh?" _

At that moment a tree right behind her exploded centrally into splinters. Anthea bolted to the left and then down towards the north. If she had to get back to the safe house by foot, so be it. It wasn't her first rodeo in this fashion. However, she didn't stop, there was no time for that. She ran regularly and then slowed down to rest. As she collected herself, her phone rang. She looked at the ID and it showed Aelita's number.

Anthea opened the phone and said, "Hello, Aelita how are you?"

She was greeted by the song playing the lines,

_This youthful heart can love you and give you what you need._

_This youthful heart can love you and give you what you need._

_But I'm too old to go chasing you around_

_Wasting my precious energy._

Anthea got up, turned off her phone and bolted now turning north-east back on the main road towards the safehouse. "_Damn it!" _she thought,_ this thing knows how to track our phones and knows how to impersonate other lines. It had to pick it up from somewhere because that behavior is not in the dossier."_

Anthea continued to run, and she thought to herself, "_I just have to get back to the safehouse." _She took the phone and removed the memory card and put it in her pocket. "I'll get this scrubbed later. In the meantime, I must keep moving."

Back at Kadic, Aelita was running to Jeremy's room. She had just listened to Anthea's message and as soon as she got to his door, she began knocking incessantly.

Jeremy opened the door and said, "Aelita, what's going on? What's the matter?"

As Aelita got her breath, she said, "My mother left this message."

Aelita played the message for Jeremy and as Jeremy listened, his eyes grew wide, "So wait a minute, is XANA coming back or is it as your mother said, he's being remade."

"I truly don't know. We don't know what information was lifted from the super-computer. All I know is that mom has told us not to launch another return to the past. Just like XANA is being strengthened, so might this North-Gate be getting some form of benefit."

"Either way, I think I understand now." Jeremy said, "Both systems were designed so that one could not function without the other, or at least function properly. The danger we face is that we removed XANA so now North-Gate is getting all manner of benefits and strength. But did you call back your mother?"

"I've tried, believe me, but her phone is disconnected. I can't get through in any case."

"Rats! Okay, we know we can't do a return to the past, but she didn't say why. Yes, XANA's problems were cataloged that said, we don't know what North-Gate is using as a reference. We don't know what her plan is. Aelita, keep your ears open all night if you must, your mother will doubtless try and contact you at some point. The thing is with the element of cloning phone numbers it will be hard to tell if it's your mother or North-Gate. I suggest, you try and arrange a meeting with her as soon as you can. If anyone knows how to deal with this North-Gate, it's got to' be her."

Aelita nodded, "Alright, I'll stay on top of it."

It was nearing the beginning of sunset as Anthea made it back to the safehouse. After coding in with her card, she went directly to her dorm to rest. It had been an exhausting fourteen-mile walk and run. As she got inside, she tore off her coat and collapsed onto her bed. She was breathing raggedly but so thankful that at least for now she was in a place of haven. A gentle breeze blew in through the window, cooling her wonderfully.

"_A breeze?" _she thought, "_I didn't leave the window open." _

Anthea rolled off the bed and to the ground. She gently peered out the corner of the opened window. The guards were in their usual patrol.

At that moment the door opened, and Anthea whirled around, her pistol ready to fire.

"Whoa! Hold it!" a young woman yelled, "Anthea, I'm Chloe Vargas, I was assigned to you."

"Let me see your ID," Anthea said, her voice shaking, and Vargas threw her ID to her. Anthea looked at the ID.

"Alright. Come in. Did you open this window?"

"Yes, it was very stuffy in here when I came in." Vargas replied, "You alright? You look like you've been through hell."

"You don't know the half of it. I need a secure line through to the director as soon as possible."

"Why what's going on?" Vargas asked as she handed Anthe her cell phone, "Use mine."

"What's going on is North-Gate is alive and it's trying to kill me and anyone who finds out about it."

"Are you sure?" Vargas asked.

"I just ran fourteen miles to get back here. My car was shot to pieces on the main highway. That's why I look like this."

Vargas nodded and said, "You were the one that sent out the distress call. I saw that at the station before I got here. What road were you traveling along?"

"I was headed south from here to base."

"I didn't see any car on the road, Anthea, I didn't see anything until I got here."

Anthea sighed, "Great so they took the car. That's just perfect."

Anthea used Vargas's phone and called the base.

Simone answered, "Simone, talk to me."

Anthea replied, "North-Gate, she's alive, Captain. And she's going to make up bow using the weather. It's on page eighty of her dossier. It was called the Bob Dylan Initiative."

At that moment, she heard a squink and fell down a searing melting pain in her side. She turned and saw Vargas armed with a suppressed Walther PK380.

"_Thank you for verifying with us what you have put into place." _The voice from the radio said through the phone.

Two more shots were fired, and Vargas approached her phone and took it from the still hand.

"Code in Trafalgar."

"_Well done. Report back to base." _

Vargas ended the call and as she turned to leave, two shots were heard by Vargas as her body was filled with a melting heat and then one final shot, splattered her brain over the wall. Anthea was breathing raggedly. She heard the running of security closing in on the door and as the door was kicked in, Anthea slumped against the wall as she heard the yell," Transferring to Med-Bay! Crash cart in en-route—ETA 2 minutes!" Darkness fell over Anthea and despite the feeling of a blanket, it felt largely immaterial as her hands especially started to feel oh so very cold.


	23. Chapter 23

_**AN: I felt inspired, so I wrote this chapter and it is, I feel my greatest chapter yet. Thank you all so much for your continued reviews and your continued support. Thank you all so very much because, without you, this fire would have died before it even got started. Please read, review, and enjoy! **_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 23

It had been a long night as Aelita lay awake awaiting her mother's call which she felt was sure to come. In a way, Aelita felt as if she had been on a razor's edge in terms of what she knew was headed her way and indeed towards all the warriors with what her mother had told her in her message. However, until such time as Anthea was to call back, Aelita had no choice but to wait. Fatigue had already been mounting throughout the day. The finals she encountered had already taken a toll on her as she had studied. But the sheer number of things she had to commit to memory over this year, in particular, had played havoc on her. Aelita would never bring this up to Jeremy as she felt this was not his burden to bear but her own.

In this regard she was right, but she was also misguided in that she felt on some level he may not understand. The truth be told, all the Lyoko warriors had their aspects of doubt. The whole figuring out how to get over an invisible prison wall while exhilarating had taken its toll. What's more, the fact that this new program, North-Gate had been so easily able to put their true motivations before them had been in a word, awe-inspiring. Aelita had seen just what her friends were capable of and willing to do to achieve a mission's objective. Was this so much a bad thing? No. However, it was just a revelation of what people could and would do with their backs pressed against the wall. Inevitably a cornered animal will lash out against its opponent.

So, in turn, the team was beginning to do in the face of their new enemy. Ulrich, while his actions, Aelita didn't agree within a loyalty aspect to Yumi, she had to begrudgingly admit had proven useful in breaking the first set of chains in which North-Gate had them trapped. And if this was truly but a glimpse of what the team was willing to do, in a way, Aelita was proud of this risk they would be willing to take. The paths they took, as a result, may not be always morally or ethically pleasing, but then she realized this is what war was, not a war of ideals so much as it was a war of morals and standards being raised and lowered by turns often in reciprocation of actions levied against one warring party by another.

All this combined gradually made it to the back of Aelita's mind as she had to address these things and if not with the team, then at least with herself. Aelita laid on her bed, staring at the blackness that differentiated one wall from another. Focusing on her breathing and the near silence of the dorms, she waited a bit longer for the call from her mother. It was eleven-o-clock. She'd do her best to stay awake another half-hour. If the call had not come by then she would have resigned herself that the call would likely come the next day. She closed her eyes and rested for a moment and finally, she drifted off to sleep.

Aelita dreamed, she dreamed that she and her mother were in a town a smaller town she knew. As if this town were teetering on the edge of the present day and fifty years ago. Aelita was with Anthea getting two pizzas but she saw this panic-stricken apprehension to her mother's face. She was afraid, so very afraid.

"What's wrong mom?" she asked.

"They know, they know that I know and they're trying to kill me," Anthea said as she looked around herself as if expecting some great terror to come and take away her breath.

Aelita used a debit-card and paid for the pizzas and they headed out to the car. It was a small maroon sedan car. In many ways, Aelita knew it wasn't ideal at all for the snow and ice-filled mess that was outside, but she had faith it would get them to where they needed to go. Once inside, they pulled out of the gas station and went along their way.

As they drove along the road which was a true ice-rink due to the city's lack of maintenance, Aelita felt panic as at first, she saw the building where they were headed to but so bad was the ice and so great her mother's fears that they slid right past. They rounded the block and tried twice more. Aelita's terror was growing as the car slipped and slid diagonally point to point almost in a serpentine motion. She knew she was in a dream, but she couldn't stop the dream. She went first above the car seeing the car in its motion then back into her seat, filled with fear and uncertainty as just barely point by point they missed going into nearby ditches.

Aelita looked at her mother and a mixture of anger and frustration were on her face as she tried to park the car at the determined location. But what made Aelita sad was that Anthea was trying so very hard and despite that, she was not making progress. Aelita put her hand on Anthea's arm.

"Mom, stop. I'll get us there."

They got out of the car and she looked back. Suddenly the car was not a car anymore but a wheelchair and a cart behind it, an open car with an iron hoop at the back so one could sit against it properly. Anthea had changed as well as taking the form of her father. She couldn't see his face, as he sat with his pizza box under his arm, but she could immediately tell he was sad. As if he had been defeated by the ravages of time, lost all his skill and gift at a gift. But not wanting to burden Aelita he kept his face hidden from her. Aelita sat in the wheelchair and began to wheel both of them towards their destination. She knew she would get there and get there safely. In many ways, she knew, the torch had been passed to her, but she wasn't as afraid as she thought she would be. And that comforted her.

Aelita woke up, the dream fresh in her mind. It was six in the morning; the sun was at mid-rise. She got up and wrote down the dream in her journal and checked her phone, no calls came in during the night. Sighing, Aelita put her phone down and headed towards the shower room.

Meanwhile, John Barrow and Marina were sitting in the council chamber for North-Gate. They were waiting silently while North-Gate's node completed a computation cycle. After about five minutes a light flashed green and the principle node descended into the floor signifying an advanced algorithm was being applied.

Maria then asked John, "What do you think? We lost Chloe last night, what's usually the standard operation for a follow-up operation?"

John was silent as he tented his hands, "I honestly think she'll go one of two ways. Either she'll be going into hiatus for a bit until she adjusts her plan, or she goes on as she originally wanted to. Hard to say at this point. We'll know when the cylinder rises back out of the floor what her verdict is."

"So, this is what you do most of the time with her, huh? Keeping her up to date on the mission parameters and she recalibrates most of the information?"

"Not always but bear in mind she has a very precise method of how to go about things. She was designed differently from her brother. She is more contemplative and above all patient. XANA had a lot of pride, had a lot of rash decisions as a result of that pride. Also, he messed too much with the world at large to try and achieve his goal. North-Gate doesn't wish to do that at all. Rather she desires to keep things as they are with minor changes at first followed by major ones on an escalating scale until her own vision is complete."

"So, she's a spoon-feeder?"

"She hates that term but for the sake of simplicity, yes."

At that moment the cylinder detached from the floor and began its gentle and gradual ascent. Once fully positioned it lowered its base and clicked securing the hub to the floor. John looked at the large imposing cell knowing full well what was going on inside. In a way, he was equally intrigued, terrified, and mystified all at once. There was a deem hum that reverberated through the chamber and then it was silent. One minute went by then four then ten. Finally, the voice of North-Gate spoke.

"_I have decided on what we will do. What I will do. We are going to initiate Operation Hazen and from that point, bide our time until we have known all there is to know of our surroundings."_

John sighed and said, "You realize, of course, this will require a lot of energy leaving us at a fifth's capacity?"

"_Have faith, Terry." The voice replied, "I have prepared for this through several operations. We will have more than enough direct energy because this is also a major storm coming in to reinforce our equation. But it needs to be done before this coming Friday."_

John nodded, "I take it that you have accounted for the other listing's time limit as well? Will you have enough time to get yourself to where you need to be?"

"_I will have more than enough through constant and diligent conditioning. I need you to summon Yolanda to this room and I will discuss the details with her."_

John nodded, "Very well. She will be here this evening. What materials do I need to procure?"

"_I anticipated this a while back before you came to join us here in Europe. I have already made the preparations and I have already filled out all necessary forms to ensure we continue unencumbered and unfettered. I need you to go and notarize a few papers and after that, we will begin."_

John nodded, "Send me the link and I'll go right away. Where's my destination?"

His implant hummed and his destination appeared in his vision.

"Very good. Alright. I'll notify Yolanda and we'll get things going." John got up, "Is there anything else you wish to me to do?"

"_No, not yet. At least, nothing major. However, I need you to free up thirty-two terabytes of space on the secondary drive and I also need you to prepare extension drives for this operation as well as dampeners and surge protectors."_

John nodded, "Consider it done. I'll be on my way." He turned around and left the room.

Maria then looked at the node, in the nearly silent room save for the electricity humming faintly and she asked, "What is the plan, if I may ask?"

"_You may ask, Maria, but you are not privy to such information just yet. However, it will be made clear to you at the proper time."_

Maria nodded, "Well, is there any assignment I can do to pass the time?"

_"There is. You may outfit this facility to your security specifications. As our master at arms, you have full right to select anything you wish from our prior projects and they will be made in the auto-forge."_

"Okay sounds good. What about our raw troop numbers?"

"_That is going to be implemented at my discretion alongside what you install in the facility to compliment your installments. I believe in a strengthening balance as things should have been with my brother. But, alas, others in their infinite wisdom thought differently." _

Maria nodded, "Okay, thank you. Well, off to work then. Is there anything you need?"

"_I'm fine, thank you for your concern though." _

Back at Kadic, the Lyoko warriors were gathered in the rec room with Jeremy playing Odd at foosball. Ulrich was leaning against the stage while Aelita was seated on top of it watching both Jeremy and Odd intently.

There was a gentle tone and Jean-Pierre's voice came on the P.A., "_Children, your grades have been posted for your finals and you will receive your report cards this evening as you leave the cafeteria after dinner. That is all._"

Odd scored the sixth point against Jeremy tying the game with only two shots left to declare victor and said, "Take five, Einstein."

Jeremy nodded and they headed over to the stage.

"Boy, the final grades are out. The only class I fear I'll have to retake is business mathematics with Myers." Odd said.

"No offense, but that's what you get when you elect for university prep work beforehand," Ulrich replied.

"Hey, it may be the Ulrich Stern way to take only what's necessary, but I have to think about my future," Odd replied.

"What's the rush?" Jeremy asked, "It's not like you were super serious about your future before. What brought about the change?"

"I just don't want to be stuck in a rut in life so young. I honestly want to have options when I get out into the real world."

Aelita laughed, "Odd, what are you so worried about? You are still young." That's easy for you to say, princess. But I have a mind to advance myself as much as possible so when college comes A, I'm prepared. B, I can relax mostly having had a lot of my general education requirements out of the way. Besides, that's what kills a lot of college kids anyway, the general electives."

Ulrich nodded, "Yeah, I can honestly see where that could be an issue for a lot of people. But Odd, don't you feel you're starting a little bit early?"

"In my mind, as far as this goes, there's no such thing as easy enough. Besides, you know that mathematics isn't exactly my strong-suit, Ulrich."

Ulrich sighed, "Well, I give you credit, Odd. You're making the most of what you see as your future and there's nothing wrong with that at all."

Odd nodded, "Yeah so, so what if I have to repeat it? At least I have the luxury of a second chance."

Jeremy replied, "You know, Odd, I can help you with that. It's not too terrible, you just must take your time with certain things. And sure, math isn't your best subject, but hey, I suck at Italian. My point is that we're all weak somewhere."

Aelita got up, "I'm going to take a walk in the park. Jeremy, you want to come with?"

Jeremy nodded, "Sure thing."

"We'll come with you," Odd said.

"No, thank you, but not this time, Odd," Aelita said.

"Oh, okay. Well, Ulrich and I will catch up with you at lunch." Odd said.

"Yeah," Ulrich said getting up, "Odd and I will go see if we can wrangle a pass to go see Yumi from Delmas."

The two groups departed and as they headed out into the park, Aelita said, "Jeremy, I haven't heard from my mother and she doesn't strike me as the type to tell you to call her and she doesn't call you back."

Jeremy thought about it and asked, "Well she is busy. She does work for the government. However, that said, you're right. Someone doesn't just leave a message like what she left and not call back at least the next day."

"Right. And my greatest fear honestly is that someone somewhere may have gotten to her."

"You mean North-Gate, don't you?"

"With all due respect Jeremy, it seems the most likely of any force. I mean, considering just what the message was about and how insistent she was that we cease using the return to the past, you don't find sudden silence suspicious?"

"It'd honestly be easier to know if we could contact the program and truly interrogate it," Jeremy said after a moment's silence.

"Jeremy, we cannot tell if that machine is of any genuine good or is just XANA with a prettier voice. We have not a shred of knowledge. And besides, it's like Odd said, taking down the barrier that hemmed us in doesn't sound like that big a setback to her."

"This again? Look, if this program is willing to work with us on this level…"

"Jeremy, wake up! The system said it already had maintainers and people who served it. In all truth and honesty, we kids are highly inconsequential to a program like this in the long run. We don't even know what the hell her plans are. She promises a utopia, okay—at what cost? And why does she even want a utopia? It's a system that even a colony of rats proved couldn't work."

"Look, we know as much about North-Gate as we did about XANA or hell even Lyoko or even you when I first fired up the program. Honestly, no, I don't trust this program. But to overcome our enemy we must think like our enemy. Why does the program think as she does? What led to it? Is she just a program meant for a balance as your mother claims or is there possibly more? We don't know. That's just the naked truth, we don't know!"

Aelita stopped in her tracks and was silent a moment. The moment grew to two minutes. There was nothing but stillness except the gentle breeze and rustling of leaves. Jeremy could tell that maybe he had been too harsh, but then, there was no way to be sure. Aelita was deep in thought, Jeremy knew that, but he could also tell by her eyebrows moved and her jaw adjusted she was thinking about something. It wasn't something that was just a passing thing, it was something she had probably buried deep and now it was rising to the surface. Either way, Jeremy could tell, it was eating at her.

"Jeremy," Aelita said finally, "Why did you trust me to bring me to Earth? What made me different from just an everyday artificial intelligence? What was the moment that spurred you on to make me real again?"

Jeremy was in stunned silence. It was the same question that the voice of North-Gate had asked in his dream. It was the same question just worded differently and more than that, from the mouth of the girl he loved. It was a question he was hoping never to answer, a question that he'd hoped in his heart of hearts would never need an answer. But here it was, in all complexity of morality and motivation, it was before him, and it demanded an answer.

Jeremy took a breath, "Why do you ask this question?"

Aelita said, "Because North-Gate was right. When she took you from me, she told me something that didn't' make much sense at first. But, when I reflected on it, it chilled me to the bone. I called her a monster for forcing me to choose between you or restoring things as they were without you, I called her a moral test to which she replied, 'No less moral than Jeremy bringing you to life to remedy his loneliness, among other wants. In that grand scheme of comparison, who is the eviler of us two?' Now admittedly it took me some time to process it and thus now why I ask, why did you bring me here? Why would North-Gate raise that point if there wasn't some validity to it?"

Jeremy swallowed hard. He knew there was no easy way to say what he was going to say but he figured better this way than keep Aelita in angered and suspicious silence, "I'll tell you. When I first met you, I honestly thought you were an AI. When I first powered up the supercomputer, I thought you were an AI meant to balance XANA or at least restore balance. I thought you to be very well-advanced for an AI able to speak and able to converse on a level far beyond that of a normal AI.

But there's something else. As I talked to you all those nights, I noticed that an AI has updates that it would require to be up to speed. You never required one. You took the information I gave you through our countless nights of talking and you listened, and you reciprocated. You did so, so fluently and with genuine intrigue and display of interest, that I knew you had to be real. It wasn't like XANA. XANA could mimic human emotion but he could never fully understand people. It's like when he made a clone of me when he made the virtual world. He could only be himself in the end. He wore me like a coat and borrowed my vocal cords, but he wasn't me. It's the same with you. You are too distinct to be artificial you were too engaging; in time you became engrossing. You made me feel like I finally had an equal and it wasn't an equal that had a voice of mechanized elements.

What's more, you have no idea what it meant when I held the strands of your hair in my hand the first time when we did a trial run of materialization. It was riveting. It was unbelievable that one I could achieve it, two that you were that much closer to being with us. When you came through to Earth, I couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming. Then when we went around the city and we had just a wonderful time, you were taking in the scents and sights and sounds of the city, and me—oh if only you knew how happy I was! When that night ended and you kissed me, I felt not only happy but with you, I felt truly amongst equals. For the first time, I would be treated with respect from someone who cared and who got to know me outside of an academic setting and for the first time I felt someone honestly saw me for me."

Aelita was silent as stunned as he was just a few moments ago. She went up to him and she kissed him deeply. The feeling for Jeremy was beyond electrifying, Aelita's scent of light honeysuckle shampoo coupled with the sweet-scented peach blossoms of the lower park carried by the wind entranced him. Jeremy wrapped his arms firmly around Aelita and he felt her hands on his back. This moment was wonderful and as much as Jeremy knew it would end, he wouldn't mind if this feeling lasted a thousand years.

The kiss ended and Aelita embraced Jeremy her face gently filled with the fire of a blushing face. She knew now what she wanted to know, and the truth made her feel not only contented but more than that, she felt complete.

"Come on, let's go see what Yumi's up to," Aelita said.

Jeremy nodded and held her hand as they walked back towards the campus.

Across town, John and Yolanda were sitting in a private apartment having pizza and wine for lunch as John laid out North-Gate's request.

"Impossible!" Yolanda said and John put his hand on her arm.

"Shh, relax. It's not like this hasn't been done before. We have done it, but it takes a lot of effort."

"A lot of effort? A lot of effort?! Fuck it, Terry! We have done a lot of things, but do you honestly believe we're ready for this right now? The legwork it would take is astronomical let alone the…" Yolanda gave a disgusted sigh, "The appropriation of materials."

"Don't worry, Londi. What we have in progress is a lot cleaner than it used to be in the old days. We have the formulas from back home and some progress made from sources here. It's not near as garish as it used to be and if history is any guide, we just have to run the processor through one time only. We've stored up more than enough energy over the past two years. She gave me the computations, Londi. We can do it! It's not hard! We just need what she requires and it's not as garish as it used to be as I said. What did you think the whole transfer thing was, anyway, a transfer of data? Please!"

Yolanda sighed, "Look, why am I always the last one to know about these things?! I am the one who has been the ground troop in this region for the past God knows how many fucking years! I've waited for a long-ass time to get this kind of information from you guys. So why, after all, I do, all the countless returns to the past, am still at square four while you guys are at sixteen?"

"Look, Londi, it's not as bad as you think. You have been giving us all manner of energy readout ever since the experiments started in '91 and besides, look how you've turned out. You're not doing too bad."

"Look Terry, or John, or whatever you want to call yourself today, it has been fucking hard! Okay?! It's not easy with what I was tasked with. And now she wants the Hazen Protocol? Alright, she'll get what she wants. But you mind me, I am very sick and tired of all this crap. The back and forth, time in time out, back to yesterday. It's old! Now, look, I'll do what you need me to do. But I want some assurances from you because you're second in command now."

"Alright, where would you like to begin?"

"First, I want my old medical bay and hospital ward back. I want all my tools and medicines that I used to have when I first joined the service before coming to this piss-hole city."

John nodded, "That's more than agreeable. I'll see it's done."

"Second, I want in on a lot of these developments. Sometimes, the radical changes really mess up other things. Can you please keep me in the loop?"

"Again, I will tell you what is permitted. Because you are right, it's not right you be kept in the dark. I'll make note of that."

"Alright. Thank you. Thirdly, what does Maria have that I don't?"

"You serious?"

"I'm just clowning you. But seriously, get those two things for me, and I'll make sure everything with Hazen goes as planned. Where's the facility where all this stuff is set to go down?"

"Here's the address. Memorize it. Don't put out there digitally or in any form, memorize it. In ten minutes, I'm going to burn this piece of paper and you better remember."

Yolanda nodded and John gave her the address. She concentrated on it and as John observed she used several methods to burn it into her memory.

John then took the paper and set it on fire with a lighter and had her repeat the address ten times over. Once satisfied, he said, "Alright, it's all set up. We need you there when the storm comes because it's a boost to the voltage which will speed things up ideally."

"Got it. Alright. You go ahead and make sure the place is thoroughly prepared and scrubbed until sterile. Oh, by the way, what's the passcode to get into the mixing chamber?"

"It's at the bottom of the pizza box." John replied getting up, "Burn it when you have it memorized."

"Okay well. I'll see you when the storm falls tonight at eight-thirty." Yolanda said.

"Alright, see you then," John replied and headed out.

At Yumi's it was a quiet get-together, the whole team was in the backyard discussing the events of the past few days and in general, what was going on. As Yumi listened to the events leading up to the bringing down of the security, she was silent. She listened to the run-down of the events and after a moment she gave her two cents.

"So that's how it all went down, huh?" she said, "Not surprising literally I think a day after your guys' barrier went down, they pulled a lot of the same stuff from our school. Like it was entirely gutted. They simply canceled the classes that day and in about maybe twelve-hours according to some, the deed was done."

"If anything, it kinda' proves the whole Kadic being a guinea-pig for these kinds of experiments," Odd said.

"True," Yumi replied, "And the fact it was uprooted by the government of all people, that definitely raised some red flags on the campus, I can tell you. Now it's just trying to get back to normal which honestly, to see some of the teachers, you'd think you'd taken their children from them. A lot of them loved the convenience of the monitoring so they could "adjust" grades and attendance accordingly."

"It wasn't quite that bad at Kadic," Aelita said, "we didn't have too many issues."

"Yeah, some of our teachers really got off on it though, pardon my French." Yumi said, "Had one girl who was a top-marks student, not unlike Jeremy here. Get on a teacher's bad side like Ms. Walcheren the chemistry teacher and you get docked with demerits like you wouldn't believe."

"Why is it that those kinds of teachers are always the worst? Even Ms. Hertz, sweet mike, was she a bitch with that whole scheduling thing. That's a woman with anal-retentive behaviors if I've ever heard of one."

"Oh, come on, Ulrich," Jeremy said, "Ms. Hertz is not that bad of a teacher, she's actually quite a nice person once you get to know her."

"Yeah, says you. You're on almost every teacher's good side. And I get it, you're a model student, you don't make a fuss, and you have a pleasant demeanor, what else is there to say. But for us normal people, well most days end with 'I'll see you in detention.' Which is a lie anyway because Jim will see us in detention. She's not sat in on detention one day in her life."

Yumi took a drink of lemonade, "So Odd, what's this new stuff I hear from Aelita about you preparing for university so soon?"

"Is it so wrong not to want to be like your parents?" Odd asked.

"What are you talking about?" Yumi replied, "Your parents are as relaxed as can be."

"And as I've said many times, that's the problem." Odd replied, "There is such a thing as too relaxed and too chill about everything. And of course, I did see a darker side thanks to our favorite mechanical psychopath but still, they don't fight."

"For your information," Ulrich replied, "many would kill for parents like yours. However, think about it your family is very artistic anyway. Your dad with his opera singing, your mom with costume design—heck what about your oldest sister, Pauline?"

"And that's the rub. She wants to be a director." Odd replied.

"There it is." Aelita said with a smile, "And what, mom and dad are encouraging her as much as they do you?"

"It's just I want directing to be my thing. I've worked hard at it. I want it to be my thing." Odd replied.

"Odd, a sister is born for adversity. It's what they do." Yumi replied.

"Besides," Aelita said, "There are all kinds of directors across various types of media. Why does directing have to be your thing specifically?"

"We all have our own element of art that makes us stand out in our family. For my sister's it's across the board from acting to even Adele and her painting. Now Pauline wants to be a director. I felt that being a director was a great place for me to shine."

Jeremy said, "It's not so bad if you share the directing spotlight. Okay, so what is Pauline aspiring to direct? What's her style?"

"She's more the type to direct commercials for cologne ads as well as advertising in general," Odd replied.

"That's not so bad. It's just different from what you do." Ulrich reassured him, "Besides it may be her niche. I mean it's a whole different thing from directing a cologne ad to directing _The Godfather _for example. Let her do her thing. Who knows, you could learn a few things. You scratch her back, she scratches yours. My advice is for you to take it easy and just enjoy the rest of this ride while you can. The future is coming, true. But you don't have to be in an anguish of a present either."

"Ulrich's right." Yumi said after she checked her watch, "You have a whole life ahead of you. Don't get bogged down so early. If you were twenty-seven and still had doubts about the future, sure that would be different. But, Odd, you have a long way to go before predetermining your life into something that in the next few years you may decide is a waste. Take your time."

Odd nodded, "I think you're right. I think the best thing to do right now is just sleeping on it for a bit and just see what happens. But you guys agree with me there is no harm in being prepared, right?"

Aelita laughed, "As far as general education requirements go, from what I've read, knock those out sooner than later. It'll save a whole lot of the weeding process if you can get dual credit this early on. But please, don't have a hernia over a future that is for the most part, undetermined."

Odd smiled and said, "Well, alright then. I'm hungry. Yumi is there any food to eat?"

"Odd you forget, it's Chicken-Parmesan Stromboli for lunch today on campus." Ulrich replied, "Come on, Odd of Four-Stomachs, let's get you fed."

That evening the storm began to approach from the west and it was a powerful system that called for massive amounts of rain, thunder, and lightning. A large super-cell was what was predicted, and the duration was said to last throughout the night until two in the morning. The children were more than excited as a storm like this didn't come along every year and so when it did come, they were mesmerized as they watched nature's grand performance.

Yolanda saw the clouds in the distance a deep dark sapphire, heavy-laden with rain. She checked out for the night and went to her car. Taking her radio, she tuned into the base, "This is Victor, On the way."

"_Confirmed." _Enrique's voice responded, "_We await your arrival in twenty minutes. Use the night-shift parking when you get to the Cauldron." _

Yolanda replied, "Affirmative. Over and out."

At the cauldron, everything had been painstakingly prepared. The floors and walls and every surface were scrubbed clean making the place smell like a combination of bleach and Listerine. John was in a white lab-coat with specialty shoes meant just for this facility. There were the others of course all around the building tending to the final checks before launching the operation. John went to North-Gate's dock and he plugged in.

"All preparations are ready. The lightning rods are in place along with the key points, the channels from them are secondary energy should the primary power not be enough. I know you made sure there would be enough, but it's just in case. Everything is set to go as soon as Yolanda gets here. After that, well, it's showtime. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

North-Gate answered, "_Terry, I know you have your reservations about this. But we, the two of us, have done this so many times that it's like breathing now. This is what must be done to verify what I must do. I know you have fears—but you don't need them. We'll be fine. This is a work that has been done countless times and will be done countless times more. Don't' worry. I'll tell you what. If I hate it, I'll just spit in your face and kill you. If I don't. I'll tell you, Excellent."_

John ended the conversation and he looked at the chambers as he oversaw the assembly process. Yolanda was right, as much as they had progressed in this method, the means by which to achieve this end were no less garish and no matter how many times this was done before, there was no getting used to it. As the chief technological oversight officer, he had to ensure all things were in place so they could run at the most ideal levels. He looked at the work now as a nearly finished whole. And he checked his watch. Five minutes until it was to begin.

John radioed to Enrique, Emilio, and Hendricka. "Chambers report. Are we ready for submersion and infusion?"

"Chamber One is ready," Enrique replied.

"Chamber Two is ready," Emilio replied.

"Chamber Three is ready," Hendricka replied.

John nodded, "Excellent. Standby for Victor's arrival."

Two minutes later, the airlock to the door sounded and Yolanda came through in a lab coat, black rubber apron, streamlined rubber chemical gloves, and a surgical mask.

John radioed, "Victor is here. Prime Chambers One and Two. "

"Chamber One, Primed."

"Chamber Two, Primed."

John radioed, "Chambers One and Two, Engage."

There was a hissing from the far end of the room followed by bubbling and gurgling as a lemon-lime green clear fluid poured into a massive vat which then funneled down into three sealed compartments. John kept a steady eye on the contents of the chambers.

John then used his radio, "Subjects fully submerged. I repeat, subjects fully submerged."

John went to a blue valve on a large black tank and turned it, He radioed "Heat being applied for an ideal temperature." As he watched the thermometers on the door, John said, "Ideal temperature reached. Holding steady and stable at ninety-eight degrees"

John checked his watch, one minute and thirty seconds and he radioed, "Chamber Three, Engage."

There was another hissing noise this time from the opposite end of the room and a blue-green clear liquid filled the prime chamber before it too was sent down into the three chambers. John saw the mixture and to his surprise, the interaction was working far better than he'd anticipated.

Checking the thermometers, John said, "Temperature holding at ninety-eight despite infusion."

Soon thunder began to rumble overhead. John radioed, "Deploy Franklin's Son in 3—2-1. Now."

There was a sweeping sound and then a scraping metal sound as John counted the rods as they locked into place. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty.

John checked the digital barometer, "Switch to secondary power, and everyone hold onto your hats. This is going to be a ringer."

A few moments later, fhoom it was bright as glory so bright that it hurt John's eyes as he locked out the skylight. Electric current tore through the cable and into the chambers. The water bubbled, sparked, and churned and the objects inside banged around violently. John clocked this precisely at fifteen seconds.

"Cut secondary power!" He yelled and the rods were retracted.

John went up to the central chamber and saw the water still bubbling and churning and then it grew still. John waited a bit and then listened. Two minutes went by and there was a bang heard from inside.

He smiled, "Wonderful!" '

There were bangs heard from the other two containers violently.

"Deploy mild sedative gas!"

A green mist filled the three chambers and the banging slowed down exponentially.

John flipped a switch and immediately the fluid began to drain. It drained halfway and then he pressed another button which began to heat the chambers again vaporizing the remaining liquid. John checked his scanner and all signs were steady and stable. He pressed the button above the central chamber, unlocking all chambers. John backed up as the steam, the ever strange-smelling steam wafted out like fog on a river. He looked inside and out of the mist came three majestically spellbinding figures.

John's face was transfixed as was Yolanda's to the point where she took off her mask, her eyes wide in amazement. The figures walked slowly in perfect synchronized steps and went to a full-length mirror and looked intensely themselves.

The central figure turned "Excellent. Most excellent, my alabaster Romeo."


	24. Chapter 24

_**AN: Thank you all so much for your continued support and your reading of my work. I was in a bit of a creative slump these past few days, but after prayer, I honestly felt that I could finish this chapter in a way that was suitable to all I had built thus far. Thank you again, all so much for being my inspiration to continue giving you great content, and thanks be to God for his help in my slumps. As always, read, review, and enjoy.**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 24

Johnathan, Yolanda, Hendricka, Enrique, and Emilio stood before their new leader as they observed the three bodies taking on their morning exercises. Yolanda, for one, was shocked at just how far from the old methods things had progressed. As she observed the fully functioning and coherent beings before her, she had all manner of questions in her mind occurring.

As the forms finished their twelfth repetition with weights, Yolanda asked, "Don't you think you should take a break for a bit?"

The shorter form replied, "No. It's a shock to the body that is needed most considering what I'll regularly be doing for the foreseeable future. I need to get the muscles accustomed to my neural signatures so the integration can be far more dependable."

Yolanda nodded, "Isn't it a bit of a risk what you are doing? I mean, I see little difference between your presence and that of a bacterium in this current situation. So, how do you anticipate overcoming that?"

The taller form replied while stretching, "Simple. The premise is much the same as a computer. These vessels, and indeed the human body, in general, are the epitome of a perfect machine. It just needs time and dedication to bring out the very best of itself. The only thing that needed to be done was to remove the first CPU. Once that was done, the installation of the VRX-9192 could be successfully begun. Except for Contact A, these other two vessels had had sufficient time to calibrate and tune into the signatures of their new guidance hardware."

The third form spoke, "I can assure you, Yolanda; this is a much cleaner and smoother implementation and accustoming than we have had in the past. I know the work in the past made you sick to your stomach. So, to remedy that discomfort, we took our time over the past few years to develop the VRX, and from it, we have moved a large portion at least for you directly of physical discomfort."

The three forms then began to run in place, "But at any rate, this will work perfectly as to what I must do. I have been able to extend myself into additional sources through practice, but I will only be inhabiting one body chiefly at a time. As you see before you, we are running in tandem, but the relay has a two-second command ping, which allows solid use of three vessels seemingly at once. However, I have downloaded the personas of two people of my choosing to be used as the base program for each person to keep up the illusion of three individuals. However, they are painstakingly doctored and acclimated to their purpose. That is why I initiated several plans already to take place by Monday so that we can begin the work that truly needs to be done."

John nodded, "Okay, so, what is the next part?"

"I have arranged for a house to be purchased in the city, and that is where we will have a secondary headquarters, but it will be a forwarding relay station to our other projects. Also, once everything has been submitted, we will be able to infiltrate what needs to, to shore up our allies in the field, and ensure greater aspects of progress to be continually delivered."

John nodded, "I see, you're implementing what we went through in Tripoli."

"Exactly. And as my essence doesn't need sleep, I can line things up to be taken care of by my hand in alternating shifts to achieve our most crucial work first. Of course, I will need your help in some elements, but at the same time, what we are doing will have a positive impact on our overall layout by what I estimate sixty-five percent. Of course, once these units are successfully in the field, there will inevitably be some adjustments, but it is nothing we can't handle."

John nodded, "Very well. And what amount to time do you estimate for the shells to be of best use to you in the field?"

"I'd say for this one from which I speak, ideally two weeks. That buys us enough time to get comfortable and suitably situated for what we need to do. In the meantime, you are to return to your regular routines until I call you back here to proceed with the next phase."

Yolanda said, "Okay. And when will you be moving into your domicile?"

"Within I'd say four days, and from that point, I'll continue to make it look more like home. Now what we have a heading, we will continue with our traditional routines until I call us to reconvene."

That said, the team checked out of the facility while North-Gate called in one of her taxi cabs to bring her both food and clothing for the next few days.

The next day, Jeremy was entering the pool building and saw Aelita in her bathing suit arms on the edge of the pool, her back firmly against the back of the pool and kicking both her legs until fully-extended as high as she could go and then back down again. Jeremy watched her do one right after the other. But after the fortieth pump of her legs, he could see the pain on her face, but she persisted, and soon she was at forty-six. He could hear the anguished cry in her voice as she pumped her forty-seventh, and as much as it hurt Jeremy to see Aelita do this, he was amazed at her tenacity. There was a small shriek as she gave it her forty-eighth, and Jeremy could see the pain was so intense Aelita was truly gritting her teeth, her face looking up towards the ceiling. Lowering her legs, she then slowly kicked up her forty-ninth. She took a gasp through her mouth as if she had been shot, and she screamed in near agony as she kicked the final fiftieth and finally stood on her feet.

"Oh, fuck, that hurts!" she said to herself as she headed to the left ladder and got out of the pool and headed towards the girl's steam room and went inside.

Jeremy was silent as he sat at the pool's edge, waiting for her. Some time passed, roughly twenty-five minutes before Aelita came out of the steam-room and then to Jeremy's amazement, she jumped headfirst in the pool, the cold water visibly shocking her system.

She surfaced and saw him, "Oh, Jeremy! Want to exercise with me?"

Jeremy nodded, "Uh, sure. What do you have in mind?"

Aelita thought a moment as she treads water, "Want to try drown-proofing?"

Jeremy's eyes went wide, "Uh, excuse me, what is drown-proofing?"

Aelita shrugged, "It's straightforward. You hold your hands behind your back, let all your air out underwater, letting your body sink to the bottom of the pool. Then using your feet, kick yourself back to the surface for new air."

Jeremy said, "Uh, can you show me?"

Aelita nodded, and she swam to the mid-upper portion of the pool put her hands behind her back and fell backward, and she breathed out her air as Jeremy saw her descend to the bottom to her back, and then she propelled her body upward breaking the surface with a gasp and then going back down to the deep, released all her air, and surging back up again. She did this for eight repetitions and came back to Jeremy.

"Want to try?" she asked

Jeremy nodded, albeit warily, and he jumped in, and he swam with Aelita out to the upper mid-section where the pool was deepest.

"Now, Jeremy, the key to this is _not to _panic. Only when you are ready, put your hands behind you and lock them like this," She showed in front of him, "Once that is done, don't fight the water. Go down and let out your air. That's the only way you'll get the bottom, and once there, use your feet and launch from the bottom to break the surface. Once broken, breathe, gasp, and don't panic. If you do, though, I'll be here to help you get to shallower water."

Jeremy took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

He clasped his hands behind his back and lay back and began to let out all his air, descending to the bottom quickly. However, a feeling of dread overcame him as he began to jolt so far down. He remembered Aelita's instruction and used his feet to launch him towards the surface."

"Breathe!" Aelita's voice said as he was in mid-air, and he gasped and fell back under again and then unclasped his hands and tried to get back to the surface. However, he was beginning to panic, and he felt he couldn't get back to the top. Aelita's hands grasped him by the armpits and she pulled him up, and she broke the surface, she said to him, "Kick! Kick to get the side!"

Jeremy kicked and kicked until his fingers touched the side.

Aelita smiled at him, "You did good, Jeremy! Just gotta' remember, don't panic and collect yourself."

Jeremy nodded feebly, "I think I got it."

"You do. Tell you what, I'll do the next few with you."

Jeremy nodded once more, and they went out to the mid-point. She put her hands behind her back. "Remember, calm, don't panic. I'm right here. Keep your eyes on me. I know you may not be able to see me, but when I give you the signal, a touch on your leg, you go up. But if you can't hold your breath, that's fine. It's not a contest."

They both descended into the water and gradually both let their air out and Jeremy's came to rest on the bottom and there was one second, two, finally, four and the touch came and both shot towards the surface, breaking the surface. Both gasped and went back down, and Jeremy kept his eyes on Aelita, her pink hair shining like a beacon in the blue around him and she counted by a tap of her foot on his leg, one, two, three, four and then once again, they shot up towards the surface.

Aelita grabbed Jeremy and pulled him back towards the side to shallower water, "You see? You can do it. It just takes a clear head and please, remain calm."

Jeremy nodded as he caught his breath, "Aelita, what would you use this for?"

"You mean apart from not drowning? Nothing."

"When would this scenario in your mind ever come up? Us having our hands tied and being chucked into a body of water?"

"Hopefully never, Jeremy. But, in case we are, well—never hurts to be prepared, now does it?"

Jeremy sighed, "Okay, so what else would you like to do?"

"Well, we'll do two laps or so, then we'll do reverse pulls," Aelita said.

"Uh, okay, what are reverse pulls?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita smiled as she lined her body up along the pool edge, put her hands on the small ledge, and performed a full-body pull up with just her arms serving as the lift for the rest of her body. As she descended into the water she said, "That's a reverse pull. We'll do three sets of ten after two to three traditional laps."

Jeremy's eyes were wide, "Is this what you do every day?"

"I do this at least once every other week. How else do you think I stay fit? Come on, it'll be fun."

Aelita went to the far end, kicked off the wall and began to swim. As Jeremy watched her surge almost fish-like under the water, he was amazed as her body didn't pop up once except during the last quarter for air towards the other end of the pool. Once she got there, she raises her hands as if saying, "What do you want an invitation?"

Jeremy took a deep breath and began swimming towards her. He concentrated on the black lines, the interval points. There were three in the pool and he knew he'd need a breath soon. He wasn't as strong in the lungs as Aelita, but he was still amazed at how she could go practically the whole length of the pool in nearly one breath. He was so amazed; he found the tightness build as he became lost in his musings. He burst for air and breath and continued through, but that breath set his lungs on fire as he felt the tightness in the upper lung. He took one last breath and he made it to Aelita's position. He looked at her, clearly winded.

She looked back and said, "Not bad. Not bad for an endurance swim."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, "Give me a break. I haven't been training in a pool for two years-worth of spare time."

Aelita smirked, "Hey, it just takes practice. Sex is also good for your cardio; you should know that well enough."

Jeremy chuckled, "I'd much rather have a sex session or two with you than compete with you in a swimming setting, I know that well enough."

Aelita laughed aloud, "Maybe after our workout. Now, come on, three laps of the pool, front to back. Take your time and don't rush, Jeremy."

Jeremy swam alongside Aelita, and he knew he wasn't going nearly as fast as she was, however, he was enjoying the swim overall. The laps became gradually far more pleasant as Jeremy better learned to control his breathing after his second lap. The third lap was done, Aelita got out and went to one of the supply rooms. She came back with a pair of goggles and a ten-pound weight. Aelita placed the weight on the edge and got back into the pool, handing Jeremy the goggles.

"Here, I know you have a hard time seeing underwater, especially with chlorine and other things in it. Put these on, and I'm going to walk you through our next exercise. We'll do reverse pull-ups later."

Jeremy snapped on the goggles and said, "I don't exactly need these, you know?"

"You will for what I have planned for us next," Aelita said as she waited for Jeremy to adjust to his goggles, "It will require you utilize holding your breath, patience, and synchronization with me if this is to be successful and for us to be synchronized, you'll need full use of your vision."

Aelita then took the ten-pound weight, and after putting the weight at the bottom of the pool between them, she said, "Now, what I'm going to show you is what I'd call Team-Based Evasion. The objective is to move with me, moving the weight along the pool while only surfacing for breath where needed. This will be signified in that we will breathe in turns. When I run out of air, I will tap you on the shoulder to signal I am coming up. However, you are not to surface until you run out of air. This allows us to move quickly and silently with minimal eyes to see us if we were in a hostile environment. Plus, this is an exercise all about trust. You need to trust me and me, you, if this is to work. Do you want to give it a few test runs before we start in earnest?"

Jeremy exhaled, "Okay, so we both go down and stay down until we run out of air, and when that happens, we tap each other on the shoulder to take in-turn breaths and then re-submerge?"

"Yes, that's correct. Let's do a few test-runs until you are comfortable with the premise." Aelita said.

As Aelita and Jeremy continued to work out in this fashion, Ulrich was on the field with select members of next year's team practices passes and follow-throughs. His speed had drastically increased as he had his precision over the past two years. It was something that he knew that his parents would be proud of, for he certainly was.

Jim's whistle sounded, and Ulrich kicked the ball. As the team played their set, Ulrich bobbed and weaved with the ball, but the dominant player he had to overcome was Nicholas. The goofy brute may not have had that much of a brain in his head, but damned if he wasn't a formidable force in sports. Not only was he big, but he had a kick that Ulrich knew he got 'accidentally' clipped by it would hurt like hell. Not to mention that the kick itself would send the ball rocketing back, undoing any major progress Ulrich had made up the field. Nicholas was a great team-player, that was for sure, but in practice, he was an absolute nightmare.

Ulrich moved and moved swiftly to circumvent the lumbering dirty-blonde yahoo barreling towards him. Ulrich thought quickly and fired off a push-pass to his right, circumventing Nicholas, which was received by one of his teammates who proceeded to pierce-pass through a closing wall of opposing players. Ulrich ran with all his speed and maneuverability and fired off his best lob pass. If it went how he'd hoped it would, it would be a simple dribble, and direct shot into the net provided the goalie wasn't too attentive. However, to his amazement, Nicholas jumped with the strength of a kangaroo and, with a solid thud of his head connecting with the ball, sent the ball back, which was taken by an opposing player back towards Ulrich's goal.

As Ulrich stormed down the field to try and catch up, he thought, "_Fuck! What does that guy have for a head, never mind the strength that must be in his neck!"_

Ulrich caught up only to have through a powerful long pass send the ball powering back through the field. Ulrich proceeded to dribble the ball and then spotting one of his teammates on the outer reaches of the field and made his long-pass to the player who proceeded to catch it and fire it cleanly into the net. The whistle sounded, and Jim called the teams to fall in.

"Alright, good work, good job, Team B on defensive pressure. Team A, while movement is good, your communication sucks. Other players, Polyakov, good job on defense, Ulrich good job on accuracy over power. We don't need you too gassed when it comes to big games, keep working on that but don't be afraid to switch it up. Right, now, Polyakov, you're goalie for Team B. We're going to test your defense as best as we can. Team A, each player takes turns and practice on push passes. You emphasize too much on long passes, and that will leave us with our noses wide open in the face of an alert opposing team. Team B, each player is to take turns practicing passes and then try and overcome Polyakov's defense on the net. After twenty minutes apiece, we'll switch objectives. Once we have been through two rotations, we're going to start keep away training."

As the team began their drills, Yolanda was observing the drills from one of the upper floors of the main building. She was silent as she observed the team. She noted many qualities which she knew would be of use in later aspects of the overall plan. But, for now, all she could do was take suitable notes until North-Gate initiated the next phase. And that didn't particularly bother her. It was a good bit of hiatus and rest at least until some greater elements had time to blow over. Yolanda knew most of the heat right now would be on John and Maria, respectively, at least for a little while. So, those two, she knew, would likely go to ground and stay there until told otherwise.

While Yolanda was watching and thinking on the plan overall, she heard footsteps come behind her and saw Jean-Pierre, "Oh, Jean, how are you?"

He smiled, "I'm well enough, thank you. We've finally agreed on an upgrade to security, and that puts me at ease, especially considering recent events. However, as you know, this time of year, we get all manner of applicants from all over the world to process into the system. From those who have been approved, I am having their medical forms sent directly to you to log so that you can sort them in your traditional fashion."

Yolanda nodded, "How many are we anticipating both for the semester and full-year?"

"For the semester sixty and for the annual, we have eighty new borders," Jean-Pierre said as he looked out at the team practicing with her.

"Yolanda, I wish to apologize for any inconvenience that the apprehension of John may have caused you. I know he was a friend of yours."

She shrugged, "He was a friend, but it had been a while since I knew him last. I don't know what all he got involved in, and truth be told, he never told me too much anyway. It's a pity he's gone, the kids seemed to like him, but in light of larger elements at play—there's not much more that can be said on the subject I don't think."

"True." Jean-Pierre said as he continued to watch the team outside, "Well, I'll be on my way I'll have Nicole bring you down the verified forms for you to look over this evening and once done, we can transfer the no longer current student files to the warehouse."

Yolanda nodded, "Very well. I'll get started now. I mean, I have nothing else really to do so, why wait?"

She turned and headed back to the infirmary to await Nicole. Yolanda sat in her chair, waiting, but soon a thought came to her, and she patched into her implant to link up with North-Gate.

When the connection was made, Yolanda asked, "Where do our operations stand when making a protection unit for Icarus?"

There was a moment of silence before North-Gate responded, "_Typically, Icarus has had no conventional need of a guardian unit due to the ability of Icarus to mend broken units and even generate its units from within itself. Do you have a suggestion?"_

"I do. I have been watching several students just as closely as we have watched Icarus, and I have a suggestion for someone to be integrated as his protection unit. I realize that it may take time to integrate such a component on such short notice fully, but I figured I could ask your opinion."

"_I understand. Send me a profile picture as well as a physiological breakdown and wellness package so I can review it while I prepare for my field excursions. I will review what you send and see when, if, and how we can integrate such a unit to our overall cause." _

Yolanda got up, and she went to the student file-cabinet and took out a file. She plugged her field scanner into her implant through her watch and scanned the file in its entirety. Once done, she placed the file back into the cabinet and sent the data to North-Gate's internalized files.

"_Thank you. I should have a response for you in the next week, I'd say." _Came North-Gate's reply.

Yolanda said, "Thank you. Is there anything else you need before we initiate Hazen's second phase?"

"_All necessary paperwork has been sent ahead to its corresponding recipients. You will receive such documents shortly. Also, a request from you for a full medical lab and infirmary has been approved. But we still need you on sight. Therefore, we have arranged a grant to be given to Kadic to specialize the school in a junior nursing and healthcare program. Under such an initiative, you will have full unrestricted access to all resources from that program as well as you being a primary recipient of all medical supplies and necessary tools that come as a natural form of runoff from such a project. We will use a partnership with a school that we have set up in the greater Ivey League to outsource the program. From that, we will have a legitimate claim to use Kadic as a recruiting station in addition to natural student intake through proper traditional channels."_

"Very good." Yolanda replied, "Thank you. When will this grant be given?"

"_Before the start of the next academic year. It takes just a bit of time to get the necessary paperwork on its way. But rest assured, you'll have what you request." _

"Okay, again, thank you. I meant to ask, how has the loss of Chloe affected the overall program?"

"_There were some drawbacks, I do admit. That said, we have taken care of the situation at large. Our former acquaintance has been sidelined enough to where she won't be too much of a problem anymore, and if she wishes to stay alive truly, she'll hold her tongue. As for Chloe, we have secured her body from the morgue, and we have sent it back to her family in Kazakhstan to be buried."_

Yolanda was silent a moment, and she said, "Thank you. I'll be back in contact whenever you need me."

The transmission ended.

John and Maria were back in the North-Gate training room sharpening their skills at hand to hand combat when John side-kicked Maria in the stomach and suddenly Maria saw his heel coming down to crush her forehead, she moved out of the way at the last second, got back to her feet, and she continued to defend against John.

As her fists flew, North-Gate's transmission came through to John's head, "_Keep sparring. I want to have a word with you. I'm concerned about Yolanda. She asked about Chloe and the impact her loss may have had on the system at large." _

John countered Maria and backflipped, and as he did, he responded, "_Remember, Chloe was her friend longer than any of us were, and she was, in fact, one of Yolanda's original friends from back home. It's only natural that she seeks closure of some kind. Because she's hoping her friend's sacrifice wasn't in vain. These questions are natural in her position because, unlike the rest of us, Chloe was her first personal loss. We have all lost friends in former trials and former initiatives, but not her. Chloe is her first such loss—" _he ducked and evaded Maria's incoming set of kicks and punches, "_so in a way she's experiencing this loss for the first time with shall we say virgin eyes."_

North-Gate replied, "_Of course, I understand. I didn't think of it necessarily along those lines. I didn't realize they were that close."_

John thought, "_We all have secrets, darling. You, me, Maria, all of us. Many of us came into this program as members of a much larger group." _He dodged Maria's left kick, caught her leg while she whirled with her opposite leg and clipped him in the head, sending him off balance, "_My point being, many of us, including you, have lost those dearest to us. But we all knew what the sacrifices were for. But sometimes our soldiers need reassurance. And that is all this is." _

John seized Maria's right arm as she came in the form a punch, but her blade came out of her forearm and nearly got him. He slid underneath her and, with a breathtaking whirl of his right leg, knocked her out with a kick to the head.

John exhaled and patched back into North-Gate, "_Yolanda is in pain right now, beloved._ _Comfort her; she needs reassurance and love right now. A lot of us are used to this, but Yolanda was always the most innocent of us. Console her in soft words and remember she like you, would do anything for the vision we seek—but none of us is an island."_

John ended the transmission and then gently awoke Maria. Her head was throbbing in pain, but John gave her an aspirin and soothed her head with ice, "Maria, fight smarter, not harder. You put too much into your attacks, and you run out of gas. Next time, take your time but don't aimlessly wander either remember old Dan, "Move with purpose is what he used to say."

Back at Kadic, Jeremy and Aelita had just finished a two and a half-hour workout session from swimming to deadlifts to rowing, to finally incline press and bench press. Jeremy was nearly broken, but Aelita gave him a cold bottle of water she'd refilled from the drinking fountain. Jeremy had a massive headache pounding behind his eye. He wasn't sure what it was, only that he wished he could tear out his eye.

Aelita said, "You got too dehydrated. Did you have breakfast today at all before you came in?"

"No, I didn't have anything. I just came in, and we worked out." He said as he winced and then took another refreshing drink of the ice-cold water.

"No wonder you're in pain. You're under-nourished and your dehydrated. Drink up and get water in your stomach after that we'll go into town for some Italian and get some calories in you. How do your arms feel?"

"Like I can't extend them. Those reverse pull-ups in the pool were a nightmare, and I tried to overcome your crunches that I saw you doing earlier, damn my guts feel all shredded."

"Well, it's an intensive workout. You did well, though, honestly. You matched me so, what are you complaining about?"

"The damned pain, Aelita. That's what I'm complaining about." Jeremy said.

"What you need is rest. Some food and some rest. That's the point you work hard like this and then rest your body for the better part of two days. Your arms are going to be extremely sore tomorrow, which is good because tomorrow's Sunday. So, you'll have plenty of time to rest and recuperate."

Jeremy nodded, "Aelita, where did you learn the things you learned? The drown-proofing, the tactical swimming, where did you learn all of that?"

Aelita smiled as she walked with him outside the weight-room to the exit, "While in Lyoko, I did extensive research as to what traditional aspects of fitness were for you here on earth. I researched military standards of training to keep myself alive. Many of you use exercise as boasting or bragging or seeing how much you can exert for your ego's sake. For me, what I researched and what I have practiced for two years now, is just that, survival in the event of some shall we say inconvenient fortuitous circumstances."

"What else did you research?" Jeremy asked as they headed towards Delmas's office.

"All kinds of things. History, Economics, Banking, Military History, and Technological Progression, Science, and its history. Trust me, Jeremy, when you are in a virtual world for a long time, you have nothing to do but scour the databanks and learn as much as you can so when your angel comes and liberates you, you are prepared—at least in an advanced academic sense." Aelita said with a small laugh.

As they reached Delmas's office, Aelita knocked, and once inside, she asked, "Hello, Mister Delmas. May Jeremy and I go off campus to get a bit to eat at a small café in town?"

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Of course, I see no reason why not. Just be back before lunch in three hours."

"Thank you, Sir."

Heading out, Jeremy and Aelita made a call to Ulrich to see if he wanted to join them. Ulrich was shredded from the intense practice in preparation for next year and was recovering in his room, so he opted to take a raincheck. Odd had his cellphone turned off and so was unreachable but was honestly just in his dorm having his dick sucked by Heidi Klinger and so he understandably didn't want to be disturbed.

As they headed into town, Aelita's phone rang, and she saw it was her mother's number. She answered immediately, "Hello, Mom, is everything okay?"

A man's voice was on the other line, "Yes, this is Ms. Aelita?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Dr. Dietrich Tauber from St. Meredith's Intensive Care. We got your name and number from your mother, a Miss. Anthea Schaeffer. We called to let you know that your mother is okay and that she is going to survive her injuries."

"Injuries, what happened?" Aelita said, stopping on a sidewalk.

"She was attacked in her room by an assailant and shot three times. We wanted to call you sooner, but we had to operate as soon as possible, and it is only now we can tell you with certainty her condition."

Aelita took a deep breath in and exhaled, "Alright. Tell me what all did you have to do?"

"We took the ventilator out, and so now she's breathing on her own, and there is severe damage to your mother's spleen, we may have to take it out. However, we were lucky the other two bullets. They went through and through with only minor damage. They missed her organs but chipped portions of her ribs and hips, but it's nothing that cannot be healed with time and some therapy."

Aelita was silent a moment as she processed just what was happening, then she said, "Where is my mother now?"

"She is resting in her room right now. We're going to take another look at her spleen to determine if we need to take it out. It's not a major problem because the spleen is something you can live without, but we'd rather be sure and ensure she has a stable road to recovery than take a risk."

Aelita said, "I understand. Where is your hospital?"

The doctor gave her the address, and she thanked him and hung up. She said, "Jeremy, my mother, was shot and is in recovery at St. Meredith's. I need to see her. How can we arrange that?"

Jeremy looked at her and could tell she was just about to break down. He knew that even though Anthea had largely been absent from her life, that Aelita still had a love for a woman who she knew was her mother. Did he fault her? Heavens no. But he knew that this closure was needed and so he decided upon himself to do the very best thing he could.

He went to Aelita and embraced her. He felt her body shake, and she began to cry. He rubbed her back gently and said, "Come with me, we'll go back home and tell Delmas what is going on. I'm sure Aelita we can arrange for you to see her. Trust me, this will be done, and things will work out. Come on, let's go."

The two headed back to Kadic, and once they were at Delmas's office, Aelita told Jean-Pierre what had happened.

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Of course. I more than understand." He picked up his phone, and he pressed a button. He then said, "Yes, Yolanda. I need you to run Ms. Aelita stones to St. Meredith Hospital as soon as you are able." There was silence, and he said, "Her mother has been shot, and she wishes to be with her." There was another silence, and Jean-Pierre hung up the phone.

"Nurse Yolanda will be with you in just a few moments. Aelita, know you have friends here, and I know this isn't an easy time, but please, understand that we are here for you should you ever need us. You're not alone at this time."

Aelita nodded, and after a moment, "Thank you, Sir." Her voice was soft, but Jeremy could tell she was just keeping the pain within her as best as she could.

Yolanda came into the office and said, "Ms. Stones, are you ready?"

Aelita nodded and went with Yolanda out front.

Jeremy was going to follow, but Jean-Pierre put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder, "No, Jeremy."

"But, sir, she—"

"I know you mean well, but this is a time where sympathetic words will likely only make things worse. Ms. Stones need to process this as best she can. I will call Mr. Della Robbia, and he will go with her." He texted Yolanda to wait while he called Odd to his office.

Jeremy silently cursed himself, for he desperately wanted to be there with Aelita at this crucial time, but this was one thing like so many others that he couldn't accurately predict.

Odd came immediately after Jean-Pierre called him and, once informed of the situation, speedily caught up to Yolanda and Aelita.

As Jeremy watched their car leave the main entrance, he took a sigh and headed back into his room but only for a moment. He got up from his chair and was about to head out into the hall, but he hesitated. He remembered Anthea's message to Aelita how she knew what was going on, how she had given that message, and that was the last that was heard of her until just now. Coincidence? Heh, not this time. It couldn't be simply because there wasn't that much coincidence in the world. Jeremy slammed his fist on his desk and then grabbing his running shoes, got into them, and darted out the door, down the hall and through the doors out towards the park.

Jeremy lifted the sewer lid with trembling hands, his body still screaming for the intense workout for earlier, but he shoved this out of his mind as best as he could. He stormed down the sewer as fast as he could towards the boiler room.

"_Any other woman," _Jeremy thought, gritting his teeth as the pain coursed through his body, "_Any other woman you could have touched but you had to go after her, you had to go after my Aelita's mother you had to do that?! Well, no more, no fucking more!"_

Jeremy made it to the boiler room, and so great was his rage, he tore off the door. Making his way as fast as he could to the supercomputer room, his heart was pounding, his mind racing, the blood in his body like molten rock. Coming to the supercomputer room, Jeremy opened the door and saw a figure sitting in the chair. Jeremy knew this was a very likely a safe-guard set in place by North-Gate, far more likely than not. He grabbed an iron rod and was about to swing at the figure in the chair when the chair whirled around, and a boot slammed him squarely in the gut sending him backward and knocking the air clean out of him.

Jeremy gasped desperately, trying to fill his lungs with air, but he felt as if he were being strangled by an intangible and invisible hand. He looked up, his eyes watering profusely as he tried to gain his breath and saw in shock and fear a person standing before him. The being was of pale, almost whitish-grey skin. Black boots adorned it as did a vest of what looked like tactical armor. A computerized lens scanned him with red light from the right eye as the being held a shotgun. The figure pumped it and aimed it squarely at him. Jeremy was filled with terror as his breath slowly began to come back. He saw blue cords or some form of piping adorning the being's bald head leading to its back somewhere.

Standing up and with feeble breath, he cried out, "What the hell are you?!"

The being stood there, mute motionless and frozen, his eyes trained on Jeremy ready to shoot.

"_Jeremy,_" the familiar voice of North-Gate came through the supercomputer's speakers, "_why are you doing this?"_

"You! You attacked Aelita's mother, you nearly fucking killed her! I can't allow you to exist, and I won't allow you to exist if this is what you think you are going to do. Just killing people because they may somehow compromise the real shit show you're doing instead of ingesting your better world bullshit?! You're not fucking better, no more advanced than that monster of a brother we fought for years."

"_Jeremy, do you think I need your approval for anything that I do? Do you honestly think your opinion is valued that much? I have extended my hand of friendship because I thought you and your team capable of comprehending the actual price of progress, but as you are proving, you clearly lack what I thought you possessed."_

"Oh, so what are you going to do, kill me? Is that what's next?" Jeremy asked, "Stand and face me without your creatures without your underhanded tricks, a battle of minds! If you truly are so brilliant, so great, so much nobler than your brother who went off the reservation, then perhaps you can explain clearly what your goals are. We don't know what you plan to do, but if we truly were to work together, we should be privy to at least a glimpse of the future."

_"I can tell you the result and what I can give you and what I have given others. But I will not tell you how because you are not at the maturity to suitably handle such information if provided to you. You value your mind; you value you what you think. I see your language telling me all I need to know of you. You love what you think; you like what you think a lot._

_But you would not approve of what I am to do to bring forth what I promise because you like so many others you hate binary choices. You love your greys, your shades in-between. Your ceaseless and disgusting justifications. There are no shades of such allowances here. You are either good or evil. You are either for me, or you are my enemy. I forgive you, your hot-headedness. But if you think I will let one woman stand in the way of genuine accomplishment and good for all, undoing my hard work because she's the being who birthed your lover? You are sorely mistaken."_

Jeremy clenched his teeth and in a rage flew forward at the being before him, side-stepped and kicked the creature in the stomach which knocked it back, Jeremy seized the shotgun, wrenching it with all his might from the being's hands and fired the shot at the head splattering the blood all over the chair. Jeremy couldn't hear; however, his ears were ringing, and he aimed at the supercomputer console. But at that moment, a warm, bright light came over him, and as his finger pulled the trigger, he heard the words, _"Return to the Past, now." _

The warm light enveloped him and the city entirely, and when Jeremy opened his eyes, he was back in his room and sitting at his desk. He felt immensely fatigued, and with all that, he knew Aelita was going to the hospital to see her mother as he saw Yolanda's car leave the main exit. He was afraid for her, afraid of what she would see, but he would be there for her as he knew no person, especially her, should be alone like this.

,


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Thank you so much to all of you, my faithful readers, and reviewers. Entertaining you with my vision for this story is the whole reason I began, and I thank you for your dedication and support. This chapter is one that I am incredibly proud of, and I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you for your time, reviews, and support. And thanks be God for helping me write in a way that is deeply satisfying for me and helping me out of my writing ruts I don't know how many times.

Pagliacci-11

Chapter 24

The gentle beep of the heart monitor sounded in the very early morning hours. Aelita was asleep her head on the bed as she held Anthea's hand. The doctors had decided to proceed and removed Anthea's spleen for safety's sake but also because the bullets had decimated the organ as a whole. Anthea was breathing on her own, but she was still very much in recovery. The drugs that were coursing into her system destroyed any sensation of pain, but even Aelita knew that the drip of drugs would have to be ceased eventually.

Odd was asleep in the chair nearby the bed, having finally gotten to sleep in the stiffly upholstered chair as was common in such an area. Yolanda, however, stood mute and still in the dark. She knew she could easily remove Anthea from the equation, this was something, she was very much adept at and had been doing for years on behalf of the initiative. However, Yolanda knew better than to act in haste. True, she had the potential to end any possible retaliation and do so, so that none would notice. But would it have been prudent?

Yolanda patched into her implant, and she thought, "_M-1202 to North. I am in perfect striking distance of the target. How should I proceed?"_

There was silence a moment and North-Gate replied, "I see what you see, and I advise you to stand down for now. She is wounded and in recovery. We will have plenty of time to act beneficially. Just not now. Stay your hand. This is very much a scenario that will remedy itself."

Yolanda nodded and ended the communication and sat in the only other chair in the room and closed her eyes. She listened to the sounds of the hospital. The beeping of the monitors, the sterile gloss of the floors outside. The smell of sanitizer and a hint of lemon. It came back to her half why she loved hospitals, the other half why she hated them. The love came from the versatility that such places afforded. All manner of tools to maim, hurt, heal, and cure all stemming on the mood of an overseeing doctor. The exact nature of the hospital, a form of battleship. Every person had their function and had to perform it with a degree of exacting precision.

Yolanda knew that there were some nurses from her experience in the States, how some nurses didn't precisely have the bedside manner, but they were efficient. Those who weren't efficient usually had a reasonable degree of bedside manner. Then there were the undesired, the squelchers as Yolanda called them. Getting their nursing degree to get a more natural hold on laboratory precision drugs than risk the dangers of the street supply. Such people were those she ordinarily dismissed in years past; however, now they were to her as valuable as gold. Where doubtless many saw junkies, Yolanda, now she had her eyes opened by her years in the operations, saw nothing but untapped raw manpower.

However, the hospitals as much good as they had given, as many elements of resources as they provided, Yolanda knew the darkness hospitals. It was an element which she called, 'the sweet-worded reaper.' Cancer had devastated many of her friends and family back home. It was the same with John, she knew. He had lost his friend, Dave Hickey, to cancer and just a few years after his own mother. But it was from him, her philosophy of 'the sweet-worded reaper' took root. The hospitals would give chemo, give painkillers, help as best they could. Yolanda knew that due to what she had seen personally and what North-Gate had shown all of them, cancer was something generations upon generations in the making. A slow poisoning of the people from ever-present advancement to better feed the people, that was just one cause. But in this place, Yolanda and indeed the whole team knew there was an entire slue of other reasons. Could hospitals help? Just barely and even then, there was an eye out to ensure that there wasn't a resurgence. But what all the North-Gate team knew was that when it was environmental, it didn't matter how many drugs, how many chemo treatments you had. In time, your time would be up.

This was Yolanda and even John's reason for fighting, to end all of it. The endless suffering, the sadness of families which the disease took from them, loved ones far too soon. That said, this was just one reason, one of many to spur forward the progress that North-Gate brought. Not only did the program promise, but what amazed all the operatives, the program delivered distinctly on how to eradicate maladies such as cancer but other widespread elements that caused its growth. Yolanda remembered when she was told about the growing pains of progress, and she was dead against it all at first. However, as with anyone, Yolanda learned this truth: Until you were shown _how _seemingly unpleasant pains affected the world for the better, you would be against it likely until the end.

Sitting in the dark, Yolanda listened to the gentle rustling of meal carts and the janitor's mop. She patched back into her implant and thought, "_North, can you patch our anthem through to my implant? I could use some good music." _

North-Gate replied, "Quintet or Choir?"

"Quintet, please, I need soothing, not encouragement."

There was silence, and the music began to play with the gentlest piano accompaniment.

_Once to ev'ry man and nation_

_Comes the moment to decide,_

_In the strife of truth and falsehood,_

_For the good or evil side;_

_Some great cause, God's new Messiah,_

_Off'ring each the bloom or blight,_

_And the choice goes by forever_

_'Twixt that darkness and that light._

Yolanda envisioned all that North-Gate and the team had accomplished as the song played. The deaths of many a tyrant. Not always a king or queen, not always a leader, not always the loudest voice. At times it was the lauded captain of industry; others it was the graft-filled greased wheel to enable corruption through securing an outcome. Other times it was the liar to the people, the deluder, and deceiver of the importance of the people's voice. These and countless others had been laid low in the earth never to breathe again. This comforted her, it affirmed to her as to what they need to do. She gently sang along as the song played.

_Then to side with truth is noble,_

_When we share her wretched crust,_

_Ere her cause bring fame and profit,_

_And 'tis prosperous to be just;_

_Then it is the brave man chooses_

_While the coward stands aside._

_Till the multitude make virtue_

_Of the faith they had denied._

As the singing continued, Yolanda reflected on what seemed the countless years that she has marched with North-Gate. It seemed so long ago, so many lifetimes, but at last, Yolanda understood what the initiative was doing. Many she knew would hate them for it at first because this is what they knew. This is what this area of time and space knew and because this was _all _they knew. These new changes would hurt them at first, but once accustomed to these changes, they would be free, vindicated, truly on an equal playing field.

_New occasions teach new duties,_

_Time makes ancient good uncouth;_

_They must upward still and onward,_

_Who would keep abreast of truth._

_Tho' the cause of evil prosper,_

_Yet the truth alone is strong;_

_Tho' her portion be the scaffold,_

_And upon the throne be wrong;_

_Yet that scaffold sways the future,_

_And, behind the dim unknown,_

_Standeth God within the shadow,_

_Keeping watch above His own._

The song ended, and Yolanda accessed her implant and looked over the progress of prior initiatives. As she looked over the effects of efforts over the years had accomplished, did she have the right to complain? No. So much good had been done over an equal amount of hard labor, persuasion, and action. She was grateful for the progress North-Gate had helped all to achieve. But it wasn't just North-Gate either. It was the understanding that came with every aspect of the implementation of the New Horizon doctrine, it was the efforts of all the group to ensure people understood. Did people always accept what was happening? No, and neither did they wholeheartedly approve. But, once they were shown the benefit, they were made to appreciate the occurrences over time by the joy that they possessed.

Yolanda went to the contact screen of the operations, and she called John.

He was groggy due to the earliness of the hour, but he answered, "_Londie? What's up?"_

"I wanted to ask you something. Do you remember when I first came to our family?"

_"Yeah, yeah, I do. Back in Mexico."_

"Yeah, I was thinking back when I first met the girl who became North-Gate. I was listening to the quintet which she used to be part of. Terry, do you feel we have deviated in any way from our original vision?"

"_There have been stumblings, I don't deny that. But we learned from them. How to better preserve our ideals even in the face of what we have encountered over all this time."_

"Yeah, the reason I ask is that I've been going over the three nations that we have built since these operations began. I believe honestly that, maybe I'm overthinking it, but I feel we're in a bit of a pendulum motion with our ideals. Does that make sense?"

"_I think so. But, go ahead and expand on what you mean."_

"We went back and forth on the socialist v. capitalist mindsets for our countries, and I was wondering which in the end, in your opinion, prevailed?"

_"That's a complex question. To answer succinctly, there is no clear victor in either ideal. Each system has its place. Yet, it's largely the whim of the people or the governing heads that dictate if either system is implemented or not. Capitalism we largely adhered to because the people cried ceaselessly for private industry and what they perceived as more direct control over their finances. However, because the State largely runs the country in terms of protecting the people and maintaining the overall infrastructure, it is not uncommon for those at the head to wish for a more communal approach as opposed to the free market."_

Yolanda listened, and she said, "I have a question, Maria was overseer of the economic elements of the three countries, and she had to deal with both the representatives as well as with the common people. What were her observations as she navigated this dilemma?"

_"She was not pleased either way, but through counseling with North-Gate and the rest of us, we decided to let the systems go back and forth as you say, in a pendulum effect. Why? Because people are usually never satisfied. Thus, we all agreed that the pendulum effect that goes back and forth between capitalist and socialist would be in constant flux. The reason for this was because people in their mercurial nature, don't know what they want. They do, they don't want to admit it, however. They want comfort and ease of life, but they also strive for prominence on the grand scale of who they are like any kind of tradesman. At the end of the day, it's more a pride thing than anything else."_

Yolanda nodded, and she asked, "So if you know this is what people want, why not just go full-blown capitalism as opposed to keep it in a constant ebb and flow with socialism?"

"_Simple. Because each system shows the "injustices" of themselves, so to speak with due time. The capitalist system falls apart because the common man knows there are one too many fat bastards eating all the pie. Subsequently, those who are well-to-do have no want or inclination to help the impoverished or destitute, as such a system creates inevitably in the end. They don't entirely believe in such things as welfare or social anything; nothing was given to them. That said, they don't help the poor with their wealth either, and they wonder why in time people eventually hate them. Too many affluent people hold too many strings, and thus the capitalist system gives way towards more social thinking."_

"And what are the weaknesses of the social system?" Yolanda asked as she watched the sun gently peak over the horizon.

"_The opposite. You see, you have a social mindset in that all must give of their first fruits to the ordinary people a portion, and in time that portion is doled out equally to your neighbors. That's the ideal but hardly the reality as we've experienced. Too many would come to rely on the 'goodness of the neighbor' shall we say, and from that, the system withers from within. The people themselves are naturally lazy, and so to remedy this, what North-Gate did was she made 'incentivized rationing.' What that means is that if you don't work, you don't eat. For those who refuse work, their portion of food and income is reallocated into a state storehouse to be put into a soup line for the next day."_

"What did you do with people who refused to work?"

"_To put it kindly, they incentivized and given three strikes. We were gentle the first time, fair in the second, harsh in the third, fourth strike you were exiled from the community. If you attempted to come back, we would welcome you, put you through a suitable vetting process, and if you proved yourself willing to work, you be instated back. If you came back illegally, however, you were terminated."_

"I see, and so really you know the weaknesses of the systems that we struggled with for an economic model. But you had solutions whenever those systems were demanded by the common people?"

"_Exactly the people don't always know what they want. But we have come up with a more final solution do deal with this indecision, so eventually, we will stop the pendulum. But it took three countries and several instances of back and forth to arrive at our final solution, which we will implement here. As with anything, as I said, we had a few stumblings, but we are learning from them."_

Yolanda was silent a moment and said, "Thank you, Terry. Thank you for explaining things like this. I was a bit disconcerted when I looked at our records of policies."

"_It's alright, Londie. You just must remind yourself; policies change typically based on the temperament of the people at large. It's like with alcohol when we first started out. We had countless people with pickled guts, and so naturally, as was our inclination, we thought well ban it. That turned out just as well for us as it did for the States initially, not at all. So, our solution was to concede. We would always have those who loved their alcohol a bit too much. That said, though, we turned the State into the mainline producer to ensure quality product over the nightmare that was moonshine. We got a massive slice of the pie which we turned into revenue for the infrastructure, the people got their booze back, and well the rest is history. _

_In time, even that policy changed to include marijuana and became the main recreational element for most of our populace. And because reports of domestic abuse were down because of legalized cannabis, we as the State, reallocated some productivity from booze into marijuana, we just switched it. Plus, with the natural hunger-cravings as a result of the product, we invested in various forms of easily made dispensable food to cure hunger pangs. That gave our farmers and growers a substantial income, thanks solely to a mostly doped up and hungry population never mind the additional capital from exports to other nations."_

"And how do you control abuse of the product? I mean, I'm sure it's not that simple."

John chuckled, "_You'd be amazed at what a ration of weed of choice does for you. Think of our rationing of weed like an Advent Calendar, a different type for every day of the week. And if you like a kind, you can ask the State to make it your regular allowance mixed with other strains on rotation. Humans are creatures of habit. They won't question so much if they are placated in a manner that suits them._

"You really please the people, don't you?" Yolonda asked.

"_You have to. Because you must think of it as a long-term investment. Feed a people, shelter them, give the training to achieve your purpose, praise them for their quality of work, give them the desires of their hearts in terms of small every day merits. As a result, they will have no real justification, let alone want to rebel against you." _

Yolanda looked at the sun now a quarter risen and said, "Thank you. I'll think about what you've said. I have to wake up the kids and get them back to Kadic. I'll talk to you later tonight after I've gotten off work."

John replied, "_Certainly. And Londie, don't worry about a lot of these things. You'll find that sometimes even though you may have a position of influence, there's a lot more grief and headaches than you'd think. Delegation helps, true, but you'll still feel it. I'd recommend you take some recreation time and decompress a bit. I know that a lot has been on your mind with the loss of Chloe, but rest assured, her sacrifice was not in vain, and if you need rest, I can arrange it so you can have all that you need."_

"Thank you, Terry. I'll see you later."

Yolonda shut off her implant's communication, and she saw Aelita and Odd gently begin to stir. A nurse came in, and she asked, "Ma'am, do you need anything?"

"Is there a coffee machine nearby?" Yolonda asked.

"I can get it for you, what would you like?"

"Dark roast if it's available two creams one sugar." Yolonda replied, "Thank you."

The nurse went off to get the coffee while Yolonda put her hand on Aelita's shoulder, "Aelita, are you alright?"

Aelita woke gradually, and she yawned a bit, "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning. When would you like to head back to Kadic?"

Aelita's eyes adjusted the light, and she said, "Well, she seems to be okay. If possible, I'd like to come back sometime in the next two days."

Yolanda replied, "Very good. I'll let Mr. Delmas know. If you'd like, I can get you and Odd some breakfast on the way back."

Aelita looked at her, "I wouldn't want to impose."

Yolanda smiled gently, "If it were imposing, I wouldn't have offered."

Aelita nodded, "Thank you. I'll wake Odd."

Aelita gently shook Odd awake, and he started at first, but she put her finger to her mouth and whispered, "Ssh, we're going back."

Odd nodded and gently got out of his chair as the nurse came back with Yolanda's coffee. Yolanda thanked her, and they headed out to the parking garage.

Yolonda asked, "How are you feeling, Aelita?"

Aelita sighed, "A bit better, if I'm honest. I'm glad she's alright now. I'm just amazed that someone would do this."

Aelita got in the back seat with Odd, and Yolanda got in the driver's seat, and in time they were on their way back to Kadic.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was walking in the park in the early morning hours, just taking in the silence and near tranquility of his surroundings. He was hoping that Aelita was okay as she hadn't answered her phone all evening. He understood that she had a lot on her plate, as who wouldn't in her situation? He came to the large loop, and he stood silently as he listened to the tree leaves rustling in the wind. No one from the school had woken yet, and it was a weird thing, but he enjoyed the sounds of nature, devoid of voices or laughter; it was, if anything, acclimating to his spirit.

Jeremy sat down on the bench, and as he relaxed, he let his mind wander. What was so very crucial about what Aelita's mother had said, don't use the return to the past? Why? There was nothing to indicate that there was anything particularly wrong with the function. Jeremy had made the minds of all the team immune to the effects of the return to the past. But what was the greater danger that Aelita's mother seemed to hint at? It was on the tip of her tongue, but she was pressed for time, clearly.

As he pondered these questions, he felt the powerful reverberating ache of his arms and back kick in as the work out with Aelita felt like it had shredded his arms. The movement of his arms and hands subsequently were immensely small and stiffened, making Jeremy feel more like the tin woodsman from Wizard of Oz. Soon, a tone sounded throughout campus, followed by the following announcement, "_All students, please report to the gymnasium for an announcement. All students, please report to the gymnasium for an announcement, thank you._

Jeremy got up and headed towards the gymnasium. At the same time, the other students slowly began to drip out of the dormitories until, eventually, a slow-moving flow began to converge on the gymnasium. Once all the grades were assembled, Jean-Pierre stepped forward and began to speak.

"Well, children, is that time of year when we prepare for the upcoming students who desire to attend our academy and for the gradual progression into your grades and for some of you transferring to either our sister academy for further education or into a more public school system. Considering all that we wish to achieve in the upcoming years, we have decided to do away with the single-occupant dormitory standard. From this point on, those of you who have been on your own will now bunk up with another student due to the sizeable influx of attendees coming this new year."

There was a considerable noise of complaint made by the student body, but Jean-Pierre raised his hands, "Children, this is a minor inconvenience for some of you. But it will only be temporary as we complete construction on a new dormitory building. Construction is slated to begin over the break and to be completed in two months. After completion, the old standard will be restored as it once was. Until such time, each student will be re-evaluated in terms of overall housing, and only the most extreme cases will retain solitary housing. Now, from this point on, you will be released for the break and returned to your homes unless you are a resident border. You may pack your things and await your parent's arrival. You are dismissed."

The students were taken aback slightly as this was uncustomary to be released three days early for the break. As they got up and headed out, Jeremy met with Ulrich, "What do you think?" Jeremy asked.

"Realistically? I think the school is undergoing a form of hard reevaluation in terms of what all happened in just a few weeks here. The dorm may be a smokescreen, but it's a very effective smokescreen to keep the more nosy of us off-campus and at bay while a solution is reached."

Jeremy nodded, "What's your opinion on the whole doubling up with the dorms?"

Ulrich shrugged, "Hard to say. It'd make our maneuvering a bit more difficult, but a person can be easier to overcome than an invisible barrier. But honestly, something tells me we haven't seen the last of our mutual friend's tests. Sure, the digital wall may be down, but what's to say she didn't pop up another form of wall that needs a bit more tactful navigation?"

Jeremy sighed, "I don't think so. I don't think so because this is an entity that tries to keep her word. This is an entity where something like this seems a bit too simple."

Ulrich nodded, "But sometimes, Jeremy, simplicity is the best weapon you could have. What better way to secure something than with a straightforward explanation of why a certain action must take place? Delmas said we're getting new students, and this is only temporary. But even so, a lot can happen in a couple of months as we saw with this whole security thing in less than a month."

Jeremy nodded, "I understand, and I more than see your point. But I think honestly this isn't her. It's too simple. What's more, we've always had a few more students every year, but even so—" he hesitated, "I don't know. I'll do my research and investigate our institution's finances. Something tells me that there is a reason we have more boarders, and the more I investigate it, likely the more I'll see. But as I said Ulrich, I don't think this is North-Gate. I'd say more realistically, it's just a population hike as Delmas said. My only issue is if we are to work with this entity, that we need a secure way out to deal with it. And roommates, as you pointed out, may complicate matters."

Ulrich nodded, "Well, there is something you could do. You usually board here through the summer anyway. You only leave to be back with your parents around mid-break so you could do your work uninterrupted at least for a little while. As for North-Gate and my suspicions, I'm sorry if I sound paranoid. But, given what we've been exposed to, can you exactly blame me?"

"No, not at all. It's a thing that, like with XANA, most people would think us crazy if we told them what XANA was. There's no difference between him and North-Gate except their directives. So even though I hope to work with this program, it bears as much if not more, watching as we gave XANA because of the raw stakes involved."

At that moment, Aelita and Odd joined the two, and Aelita asked, "What's going on?"

Ulrich said, "Apparently, we're getting an influx of new students, so many, so we're going to all be made to share our rooms unless we are a special case."

Aelita nodded, "And this is for everyone?"

"That's right, princess," Ulrich replied, "Everyone is going to feel this en mass. They're doing an evaluation of current students during the break to see if any merit a room to themselves as the new dorm building goes up."

Odd's eyes went wide, "That many students are coming? How many are expected?"

Jeremy replied, "Apparently, it's enough that the traditional allowances of privacy most of us had with dorms are being reevaluated to see who genuinely needs privacy."

Odd replied, "But we have an entire grade moving out as we move in, doesn't that free up the necessary space?""

Jeremy said, "One would hope so, but apparently that's not the case if they're doing a full revaluation. Anyway, I'm going to check this out while everyone packs. I'm going to check out the numbers as it's not at all that hard to breach the registrar."

Aelita walked with Jeremy as she noticed his arms were still as beams, and she said, "I hope you're not too sore from yesterday. I know it can be a lot of strain on the body after something like that."

Jeremy gave a smile, "No, it's alright. I just have to rest my body as best as I can. The only downside to this is that I feel very much like one of my robots, limited mobility, and questionable grip at best."

Aelita smiled, "Come on, we'll go to your room and see what the drastic surge in numbers is and what it stems from, afterward we can figure out how to deal with our new living arrangements."

As they walked, Jeremy said, "I was meaning to ask you, how are you feeling with all that has happened with your mother?"

"I'm as good as I can be, honestly. Given the circumstances. My mother's okay, but she's going to be in the hospital a few days more. Nurse Yolanda is trying to arrange with Delmas some regular trips so that I can check in on her time to time. However, she was completely out of it when I arrived, so I just sat with her most of the time. The doctors removed her spleen, that was what was in the most danger. But we're okay, thank goodness, and so well now we're here."

Jeremy nodded, "I'm glad she's okay. I'll go with you if you permit me next time you go. And I'm glad to see you're holding up so well. What we'll do now is just get ready for traditional summer break. I've worked on your form so you can stay a border, but at the same time, with the evaluations underway, that very status may be more in jeopardy than we think."

"That's okay. We'll figure it out during the time we have. We may be a bit pressed, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"Ulrich raised a valid point, though, that it would be a bit harder to navigate as clandestinely as we have in the past with new roommates. I mean, it shouldn't be too hard. But, get stuck with a stickler for the rules or a kiss-up, and we would have a more persistent thorn in our side."

Aelita waited as Jeremy unlocked his door, "But, is it that likely of someone being that much a legalistic ass?"

"Depends on the person, I think. You could end up with someone entirely relaxed, not caring at all. Or you could wind up with someone breathing down your neck. Very rarely with roommates do you ever get a middle ground, especially in a place like Kadic where rumor spreads quicker than flame on cooking grease. It's sadly a fifty-fifty chance. A real crapshoot. However, when you know how to bend house rules, it's a bit more bearable. How do you think I got the luxury of getting my own personal room to do as I please? Come on, let's look at the guts behind these decisions of late."

Back at the hospital, Akiko was sitting beside Anthea checking on her stability. Akiko knew it was a dangerous gamble the woman was playing. Akiko had investigated the events that had led to Anthea's hospitalization, and the circumstances behind it were eerie, to say the least. A trusted officer, who had practically been a star on the security forces, turned at the drop of a hat. Akiko knew the one she knew as Chloe if that indeed was her real name was being investigated as a sleeper-agent. But the question on Akiko's mind and indeed many at the oversight office, a sleeper-agent for whom?

Chloe had been on the force for the better part of fifteen years and had an exemplary service record for her service in Iraqi Freedom. It was from her service the agency recruited her as a specialist in acquisitions. However, no one knew what had caused the switch to flip, and it was a question that Akiko knew was haunting the upper heads of the agency. Anthea had dealt with this problem; she had blown the woman's brains all over her wall. However, Akiko knew instinctively that this was far from the end. The agency would conduct an entire overhaul investigation and check all footage and communication to see just what had happened because, in truth, it was all they had. Chloe's body had been taken from the agency's own offsite morgue, and there wasn't a trace of those who took the body anywhere on CCTV.

Akiko thought on this and several other things as at that moment, she saw Anthea's fingers twitch, and gently she opened her eyes. Akiko was grateful to see she had pulled through, and as Anthea came to, she muttered something that showed she wasn't in her right mind at first. After a moment trying to asses where she was, Anthea locked eyes with Akiko.

"Aki, they came for me," Anthea said in a barely audible whisper, "North-Gate. She sent one of our own if she really was one of our own, to begin with."

Akiko took Anthea's hand gently, and Anthea winced for a moment, Akiko's hands were so cold, "Aelita, is she safe?" Anthea asked.

"Last we checked, yes. She came as soon as the doctors informed her of your condition. The nurses said she was with you most of last night and into this morning. She left in the early morning hours."

Anthea nodded, "Thank God. Akiko, do you have your cellphone? I need to make a call."

Akiko replied, "Later. You need to rest. You were shot nearly to death for goodness sake."

Anthea gripped Akiko's hand firmly with a strength that caused Akiko to clench her other fist so strong was the grip, "No, now. You don't understand. I _need _to talk to my daughter."

Akiko nodded, "Give me a moment. My Yumi talks with Aelita regularly. I'll call Yumi and get Aelita back here as soon as I can."

Akiko got up, and she headed out of the room. Taking her phone, she made the call. The phone rang for a bit, and Yumi's message for her inbox came on. Akiko said, "Yumi, this is mom. I need you to call me back as soon as you are able."

Akiko was about to head back inside when a young doctor walked past her and into Anthea's room. Upon seeing her, he introduced himself as Dr. Leonard Stanovich checked her vital signs and was silent for a bit as he wrote down his results.

He looked at her silently a moment and said, "I must insist that you rest for at least the better part of a week. We will have nurses and staff check in on you as your employer has made abundantly clear. If you prove to be as resilient as your bloodwork and your physicals suggest you be, we anticipate you being back in the saddle within two weeks. While your body heals, we are going to put you on fluids until we are certain you can handle solid food."

Anthea shook her head, "No, doctor, none. Except one, why so much care and attention for only three bullet wounds?"

Dr. Stanovich replied, "It is at your employer's insistence we be so thorough. Any issues, kindly take it up with her. Anything else?"

Anthea shook her head, and Stanovich left soon afterward. Akiko sat down and said, "Anthea, take it easy. You just barely survived."

Anthea looked at Akiko, her eyes sharp, "There is no barely in this situation, Aki. This was a message, no more and no less. They wish to deter me before seeking a more permanent end to things. It doesn't matter now. I'll hold my tongue as long as need be. But I will see my daughter and tell her what I know before the week is out. She needs to know, Aki. There is no way to say this nicely."

Akiko nodded and then said, "And just what did you discover that is so urgent? Urgent enough for an AI to seek to warn you off in this way?"

Anthea looked at her and said, "Answer me, honestly. Do you believe in the equality of our race, our species?

Akiko shook her head, "Why?"

"North-Gate. She's restoring our equality. She's taken it upon herself to do so, and it's coming in a way that is going to be horrifying, and at the same time—we won't be able to help it as we watch her. She's watched us for years while XANA kept us preoccupied with his antics over the last two years. He was essentially a red herring. North-Gate has been in passive observational dormancy. I don't know how long, but she's moved her chess pieces into place. I know what she's going to do, and we're not ready for it. The worst part—we don't know where she is, and now, I fear, because of what some people have done, she's seeing us more as an irritant to be removed than her sheep to tend to. I'm scared, Aki. Read her operational dossier. It's in the original Carthage Files, which we digitalized a couple years back; it tells you all you need to know. We're not fighting just a machine; we're fighting a movement, and I hope that we're not acting too late. Now please, get my daughter on the fucking phone."


	26. Chapter 26

_**AN: Here is the next chapter in my story, and I sincerely hope all of you enjoy this as much as I did writing it. I was inspired in part by a dream I had a few days ago to pursue this chapter in its theme, and the rest by the grace of God wrote itself, and it's a form of nuance that I am pleased to see. Thank you, all readers and reviewers. Your continued support means a lot to me. As always, read, review, and enjoy. Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 26

It was silent in Kadic as the last of the homeward-bound students got into their parent's car to leave the premises. The Kadic occupancy at this time of year was traditionally quite low. If one was lucky, you would find a maximum of maybe fourteen students per floor. As a result of this drastically reduced number, the staff was reduced to the bare necessities at least until the fourth week, where the new students would move in to acclimate to the dorms until school started back up. This sparsity of staff allowed most students to go freely around the grounds with minimal interference. As for the likes of Jeremy and Aelita, it provided more than ample time to research the aspects in the background regarding specific events.

As Jeremy typed lines of code into his computer, he was looking at critical elements that caused Kadic's influx of new students. Unfortunately for him, he was growing increasingly frustrated. Why? It was because of what Ulrich had said. For North-Gate to hide behind the most unadorned and mundane action was not at all beyond the reach of reason. Usually, it was Jeremy who would more readily attribute something to XANA, oh how wonderful those days were. The days when he didn't have to second-guess every little thing. As he typed, Jeremy admitted to himself that at least with XANA because of his lack of understanding of people, his methods and means of enacting his will was a bit outlandish and more natural to spot.

What frustrated Jeremy most was that North-Gate was an entity he couldn't get a read on was she a friend, he couldn't tell. Was she an enemy, again she didn't give any direct signs. It was a tense, and dare he say an almost hellish form of seeming indifference. Whatever moves this program made was hard to pinpoint and even harder to be sure of their overall aspect. The computer was behind the bombing of the station; this was something Jeremy had privately come to terms with. John Barrow was her chameleon to hem in the team under the veil of protection. Someone acting as the program had been testing them, mentally fucking with the team, and especially him. Right now, Jeremy's view of North-Gate was chaotic at best and skeptical at worst.

Jeremy's door opened gently, and Aelita came in with a plate of macaroons and a glass of lemonade, "How's the search going? Is it yielding anything?"

Jeremy sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Apparently, Kadic has been given stellar reviews by various academic papers, and honestly, I see that as the reason for this surge of students. Not that it's a bad thing, Aelita. It's just—what Ulrich said today stuck with me, that North-Gate could use this a means to trap us in a sense."

Aelita sat on his bed after she had set down the macaroons and lemonade, "Jeremy, be honest with yourself, and please, be honest with me. You were not at all dissimilar when XANA was active. You saw XANA behind every hedge, so to speak."

Jeremy turned to face her, "That is only because as he advanced, he had evolving strategies. He was knowledgeable Aelita, but—"

"But what, Jeremy?" Aelita asked, "What's bothering you?"

Jeremy hesitated and then said, "I'm bothered by the fact that XANA seemed like he was child's play compared to his so-called sister. I—I can't get a handle on this thing, and that's what scares me. Where XANA was in the open and could be detected within reason, this new program is slow, it takes its time. I feel like the character in the pit and the pendulum—that blade inching ever-closer."

Aelita nodded, "We know the program was behind the station attack. It was a hard truth, but it was the truth, regardless. Even as we desperately wanted to undo all that transpired, the program locked us down, and even when we could get out, she killed you, Jeremy. The worst part, Jeremy, this is the program's default behavior. What it cannot reason with, it will seek to terminate if it proves too much of an irritant."

Jeremy leaned back in his chair and exhaled, "What it can't reason with, huh? Well, it's not that hard to figure out what needs to be done. We must figure out what the program sees as logical, what it sees as fair and just. As with anything like this, the law is the law, you have to work within the boundaries."

Aelita looked at him and said, "Jeremy, I don't think it's exactly wise to attempt technicalities with this program?"

"I don't see why not. If XANA can be destroyed by a blow to his ego and what he thinks he knows, I don't see why North-Gate would be that entirely different."

Aelita got up and left the room for a moment. Jeremy sat in his chair slightly perplexed, and in a few moments, Aelita came back. She handed him a white book, "Because she's not XANA. Read page one fifty-seven."

Jeremy turned to the page and read, "_Regarding the program's recordings and tests to determine rationale, our tests have proven that the program has achieved what we could not achieve with Project Xanadu. Where Xanadu was limited by exposure and repeated behavior, North-Gate has proven more than competent at understanding and incorporating changes. For good or ill, the CPU cannot be soundly conditioned by external forces. This is more than evident in experimentations with combat as all variables programmed into North-Gates secondary operating systems. Due to concerns of General McGrady, this component is to be nullified after testing is completed." _

Jeremy handed the book back, "So she's a quick study, well hell."

Aelita said, "What's worse, there is no confirmed removal of the secondary drive. For all, we know she still has it. Which means…"

"She's an adroit combatant and masterful of a skill once introduced to it." Jeremy said, "So how do we work against such a machine?"

Aelita replied, "Work with it instead of against, and I think honestly, one of those steps is not to short-change it."

Jeremy nodded and was silent for a few moments. He felt this in many ways, was an immense gamble. Work with it? But to what end? What was the program's purpose? Jeremy thought these things, and more as Aelita's phone began to ring.

She answered, "Hello? Oh, Mom! Are you alright?"

"_I'm fine. You need to understand something. I don't have much time. You and your family need to understand something, North-Gate, it's attempting to restore what many would see as a status quo."_

Aelita replied, "Mom, may I put you on speaker? It's just Jeremy and me here in the room."

After a moment, Aelita put the phone on the speaker and said, "Go ahead."

"_Alright. The status quo is being modified under this directive. North-Gate has been observing much of what people have been doing over an amount of time. Just how long, I'm not quite sure. It has been considering various programs and various systems that it deems as deeply flawed or in dire need of mandatory reform. This program is laid out on pages three-hundred and fifty. From what I'm able to discern, this program likely will attack under heavy scrutiny the elements of criminal justice, economics, and likely other seemingly smaller sociological institutions. But such an attack will have a cataclysmic effect."_

Jeremy listened, "So what is its goal? What do you mean by the status quo?"

"_What I mean is that North-Gate piece by piece is going to reestablish what it sees as personal order without graft and corruption. It will consider the ins and outs of various countries' individual, societal constructs and using that information will through legislation or through external factors, curtail the system by cutting out the corruption and putting its own system in place."_

Aelita asked, "So, mom, why can't we use the return to the past?" 

"_Simply put for the sake of time, North-Gate has been using the innate energies of restoration with that function. After she got ahold of the supercomputer, she augmented what the power did. Not only are you returned to the past, but with her modifications, she's passively and actively gained the ability to create thermal swings. We're talking yo-yo effects on temperature, the likes of which we have never seen before. Imagine going from thirty-two degrees to sixty in just two days and then back plummeting to thirty-two in just as many days. Imagine in an otherwise traditional temperate zone going from a standard of seventy degrees and plunging to thirty-two. Where once you had rain to depend on, your very biosphere is compromised, yielding no rain._

_The reason for this, I believe, is because she's trying to impact all significant agrarian sectors. This is to manipulate the people as a collective. If you can cause chaos within the rhythmic cycles of the seasons causing peak irregularities, you can cause food to bloom prematurely as it attempts to grow, and then with a freeze, kill it. Not to mention, people will become sick with such fluctuations as a result, and as it is an occurrence of weather, blame on any one particular being is very nearly nullified."_

Jeremy replied, "So that's her game. Make food shortages, and from there, do what? Bring back food to the people who need it, and in doing so, she is going to be a loved hero."

"_Exactly, Jeremy. The worst part is, we can't stop her without blowing the lid on Project Carthage, and on some level, North-Gate knows that. She knows if we were to reveal the elements that gave birth to her, to Xanadu, and to Lyoko, she knows would people lose faith in any semblance of government oversight. It would cement her rise and secure her because she is following just as Stalin did with his analogy of the chicken." _

Jeremy nodded, "I give them food, and because they have been tortured relentlessly, through my one kindness, they will follow me forever."

"_Yes," _Anthea replied, _"but in this guise, she's not a torturer or deceiver; the establishments that birthed her are. She knows that with many people wanting something different, she'll give them something different. It's not going to be perfect, not by a mile, but it is in the eyes of the people a far sight better than what they had. Gladly throwing off what many would consider an old and decayed regime in favor of something that favors the people? It is a tale as old as time."_

Aelita then said, "Mother, have we done this to ourselves? I mean, look at XANA. He saw us as evil, and so his rationale is to overcome us through force. North-Gate is taking the epitome of a passive-aggressive stance. But in theory, what she's doing, she's just making a more soothing medicine for us to swallow."

Anthea replied, "_We don't have much time left. But you are right, Aelita. It is passive-aggressive in what she's doing. However, you are equally correct in that we have brought this on ourselves. That will be the hardest part, trying to convince North-Gate that we don't deserve to be ruled under her aspects. She doesn't mean to control us; instead, she wishes to negate our more destructive impulses. Her overall goal from the beginning was to give stability to civilization. But even though we may know how she's attempting to enter our field of politics, we don't know what she will do once she gets rolling. _

_Again, we can't prove this without blowing the lid on our intentions, which led to her creation. We can rationalize it away, sure. But it's not going to help. The purposes between the lines are what North-Gate knows will get the people to rebel. What's more, the fact we made her and made her this powerful, is an even more dangerous premise. To be ruled by such a system is something that many of us knew sounded good on paper in the wake of a cataclysm, but we didn't know how it would work despite the best-laid plans."_

Jeremy then said, "What if we called them out? What if we were to leak those important documents, blow Carthage's lid, and buy us a bit of time? If we call North-Gate's bluff early, she may not be able to do as she needs to, to ensure her program is complete."

"_No. Because as soon as you do, there will be agencies rising against you, which I can't protect you from. Your intentions are noble, and I applaud you, Jeremy. But, like our adversary, we must take our time. There are loopholes in the law that the program likely does not know and will naturally impede her. However, it's too early to tell just what to do at this juncture. But to declare Carthage to the world? it would snowball into something that could give North-Gate exactly what she wants." _

"So, are you suggesting we do nothing?" Jeremy asked.

"_Jeremy, please, calm down. I suggest biding your time for now. That is all. I'll be in contact with you both. Aelita, take me off the speaker."_

Aelita deactivated the speaker, and she talked to Anthea for a moment while Jeremy took North-Gate's operation manual from the bed, opened to page three hundred and fifty_, _and began to read. In time, Aelita had finished talking to Anthea, and Aelita ended the call and snapped her phone shut. As she sat back down on the bed, Aelita looked at the time. It was eight o'clock in the evening. Jeremy closed the manual and sighed.

"I don't think it's the best idea honestly to sit and wait on this." Jeremy said after a moment, "We have to do something. I don't know what, we just have to do something."

Aelita looked at him, "Sometimes, Jeremy, the best thing to do is to just wait."

Jeremy got up and put his head in his hands and groaned, "Yeah, that's easy to say for someone who doesn't know that a malevolent software is legitimately trying to kill us."

Aelita smiled as she went up to him, "Not kill us. Mom didn't say anything like that. And besides, I think what the program _is _doing, per its outline, is curbing our natural appetites. At any rate, we can rest assured it's not termination on a massive scale."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better, Aelita," Jeremy replied.

She laughed a bit, "I think I know something that would help you to feel better." She went to his drawer and gave him a condom, "No one's on this floor anyway, and it would help you reduce stress. As I look at it, what's to be lost? It's a win-win for both of us."

Jeremy took the condom and laughed a bit, "You're not wrong." He went to his room door and locked it.

Aelita disrobed and put her clothes folded on the floor beside the bed and, after laying back, spread her legs. Jeremy took off his clothes and felt immediate relief as he entered, a feeling which only intensified as he went deeper inside.

The night closed in, its gentle blanket spreading over the city like a net. The rain foreshadowed itself, filling the air with its sweet scent gently intermixed with the smell of the town. The gentle film of smog giving a sickly-sweet candied metallic aroma from the chimneys of the foundries and the local candy manufacturing plant. It was too many of those who lived there, a signature staple of the beginning of summer. The welcomed the rain. It was as if it were a cold-water cleanse, which to many was welcoming at first, and then when humidity rose in its turn a day or two later, it was not uncommon for a new resident of the town to be deemed officiated into the city.

As thunder made its gentle announcement, the prelude before the deluge, John Barrow was at his safehouse near the river, and he was settling in for bed. He knew he had a whole list of things to do to be more suitably prepared for the fieldwork North-Gate had wanted to launch. So, after a hot toddy, John lay down in his bed listening to the gentle patter of the raindrops, the incoming storm. A few minutes later, as he focused on his breathing, John fell peacefully to sleep.

John dreamed he dreamed that multitudes sought a man's guilt for months. The months turned into years. They had hounded him and hunted him like a rabbit hiding in the heather bush. So much pain he had been through, trapped in that gritty, filthy, abominable hellhole. The endless beatings they had put him through so regular were they, the aching of his body had ceased. As much as he cried out in pain before, now there were no more words to utter. All this pain due to the blatantly false accusation was a product of this hell. The hell birthed out of the deceit of others. They needed their answer, they needed their justice. So, he would do. Many hated him, and those who hated him had put him in prison.

The sky was always dark; not once did he remember seeing daylight. But he remembered when he was in such agony. He remembered the day he was freed. The day the pain ceased, and the walls that hemmed him in that once seemed impenetrable and, in many ways, insurmountable became cracked and easily broken before his eyes. He was free. He was free and finally, entirely without pain. The endless tortures they had put him through that no officer had willfully done out of malice, but for some reason, the agonies and hurt continued to come full force.

But no, he knew as those prison walls crumbled that all that terrible pain and agony that they had desired yield what they wanted, amounted to nothing. No, less than nothing. He came home, how sweet the sight of sunlight was back at his boyhood home. But even then, it was not enough. How they still hounded him, his accusers He had tried desperately to keep their enforcers, their beasts at bay. He had tried time and time again to not let his enemies into his house. But eventually, the animals, those strong and powerful men, finally found their way in.

John saw as the man ran off the White Tiger as he was known, that even though he was defending his home, a voice in his head said, 'Do not be quarrelsome with your neighbor.' The White Tiger came back time and time again, and still, the man blasted him with pans of boiling water. Why was this? Because he was still afraid. He knew they wanted him dead, he knew it. Out of fear and anger, he fought. Out of fear and anger, he kept as vigilant a watch as he could. After the sixth time running off the White Tiger, the man remembered the fox had gotten through his garage door through the back but had not gotten into the house at large. The fox went away, and from that, the man took up security in his home, his sadness and anger growing.

They were assailing him on every side, their harassment, unrelenting and uncaring. '_He has to be guilty! Look how he hides in his home! He must be! Justice is not served! Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!' _These were the cries of his accusers who sought to turn his own home into a veritable prison. It was not enough they had taken years away from him, broken his flesh until he screamed for mercy to the point of screaming no more. It was not enough. So sure, were they, that they continued to send their enforcers to antagonize to remind him of the watch they kept over him.

Then he remembered the tiger that he had of his own to protect him, A tiger that was given to him by the one who set him free. The tiger who went before him and when his enemies came with their enforcers, he remembered the voice in his head, 'Do not be quarrelsome with your neighbor.' For days he had debated with this voice, why not be quarrelsome? The answer, 'These beasts that antagonize you, are just as human as you are. Don't forget that. They have the same fears and doubts as you. Despite vicious titles, they are still beings of flesh, just like you.'

That answer came the day they burst into his house. The tiger which the man had been given pinned the White Tiger to the floor, and the man remembering these words extended his hand, screaming, "Stop! Don't kill him, let him up!" The tiger allowed the white tiger to stand. And one of his accusers, one of several brothers came forward to fight him. Both had their weapons ready. What once had been two sets of harmless kids' toys, this vicious world had turned into a coiled knife. Both were able to get their weapons around the necks of each other. The man could feel the blade of his accuser wrapped around his neck, the cold steel gently cutting but only enough to remind him of the presence that was the blade. The man pulled his coiled blade, hoping to kill his accuser before his accuser killed him. But the coils had lost their edge and became pitiful pieces of foil. It was at this moment that a voice inside him affirmed, 'This is not for you, nor is this your nature.'

Suddenly a room was before him; he was amongst his accusers, the man he had just fought, seated amongst his brothers. Still, they cried accusation after accusation, the mob of five brothers yelling of what he had done, what they accused him of. Suddenly a man came between the parties, and his face was fair, and his hair reddish blonde. His eyes were wide and green. The brothers attempted to hurt the man and the man with reflexes that were as second nature as breathing, disarmed them, and sat them down. He turned to look at the accused, and he put in a video-cassette tape, and it began playing.

The video showed older CCTV footage of the prisoner being tortured. Beaten, pieces metal flexible rod going into his penis, so great was this man's pain as he writhed from the insertion. He screamed and wailed, but he did not say anything else. Soon, the voices of the accusers were heard on the tape, "_Come on, keep going! That motherfucker is so close to breaking and confessing, he can't last much longer." _The beatings continued, and the man with reddish-blonde hair stopped the tape and looked at the brothers and the former prisoner before him.

"You wanted him tortured until you got the confession you wanted to hear. You cared not for justice but for the pride and vindication of your own hearts and ego, what you believed to be right. For days and days, you tortured him using our methods. You tried, and you tried, and still, he would not confess. Why? Because there was nothing to confess."

At that moment, John Barrow bolted awake. He was gasping for air, so vivid all of it was, coming back to him. He got up out of his bed, and immediately the first thing out of his mouth was a nearly silent whisper, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you for your beast, which protected me from those who were against me." John looked at his clock—it was six in the morning. Looking at his hamper, he took his jeans, sweatpants, and heavier shirts and took them to the washing machine. The house was quiet, the house was perfectly still. John put the clothes into the washer, poured a cap of detergent inside, closed the lid, and started the machine.

After activating his implant, John sent out a signal to Maria, and soon after, she answered.

"Terry, you okay? It's really early."

John replied, "I know. I had a dream, Maria. I just wanted to call you and see how you were doing."

"Well—great. Thanks. I'm okay, just a bit groggy. What did you dream?"

"It was about what my father went through. It was a lot of his life and then how he said God set him free. It was both terrifying, aggravating, and—hopeful is the only word I can think."

"Well, Terry, your father went through some true hells before we left home. I can understand why you'd be thinking about it after all this time. But remember, that's why we took over the North-Gate initiative. Your father's many injustices which he suffered is just one piece of an overall pie that when things come into their way as we know, they usually do; we will have helped so many. As you have said many times, it's just the birthing pains. We are not immune to them, love. You know that. But we use that pain as fire to go forward and make a way."

John nodded, "You're right. We're not immune. We've just built up a tolerance after so many implementations we can stomach it a bit better than others."

"Exactly. My advice is going about your normal day and check in on our field asset at the new place. It'll help get your mind off things. But if you still have issues, let us know. It's what we're here for."

John replied, "Alright. I'll go as soon as this wash cycle finishes. Thanks, Marie."

"Of course. Terrence, I know you get homesick, and I know your heartache for those we left behind. We all feel that. It was a cost that a lot of us accepted, but it doesn't mean it's easy. That's why we make new friends, new families, as we continue our mission. Once we have attained what we have envisioned, we will be able to stop this trek onward."

John was silent a moment and said, "Thanks. I'll see you soon."

John ended the conversation and went to his room. He looked over his clothes to wear for his meeting with North-Gate. Admittedly, John felt that in all reality, it was much easier to talk to North-Gate now that she had entered a corporeal form. Did he approve of the overall process? No, of course not. However, when she attained her fleshly, John couldn't help but feel grateful that such much of what had been a routinely morbid affair had mainly been streamlined into a complete process.

After looking over his wardrobe, John opted for his form-fitting navy-blue jeans, a blue shirt depicting skateboarding Abraham Lincoln wearing pink shades to go with matching blue Nike shoes. His outfit selected; he went to the shower and proceeded to clean himself. Fifteen minutes later, John got out, dried himself, and shaved. A small dab of _Cuban _Classic, and he was content with himself. The smell of tobacco and chocolate with a tiny hint of fruit was ambrosia to him. Once fully dressed, John headed out and, once in his car, drove to the new house. John came in time to the address, and as he looked at the home that North-Gate had chosen. He had to admire her passion for a touch of the classics mixed with the new. Approaching the black wooden door, he rang the door in sequenced code, and soon the door unlocked.

Entering the house, John saw it was soft in its paints as well as general aesthetic. The walls were almost a baby blue, but a touch sharper, the furniture was minimalistic made of dark brown to black woods and fabrics. There was a large burgundy throw rug on the floor in front of the door while another carpet was of a similar color, but with gold embroidery covered the rest of the living room. The floors were hardwood and of a deep brown but not quite a cherrywood. The kitchen floor was white linoleum, and the kitchen itself was, while not quite full, was spacious enough. There was an electric stove in the kitchen, as well as the refrigerator, both white. The laundry room was in a small, almost laundry closet built into the kitchen. A washer and dryer alongside each other next to a water heater.

John looked around when he heard footsteps to his left. He turned and instinctively drew his pistol. The young girl was before him, and she smirked, "What, you gonna' shoot me?"

He put his pistol back in his holster and said, "Sorry, a force of habit."

The girl nodded, "What do you think?" she asked as she fanned out her arms to appraise his opinion of what he had seen.

"It's not bad. It's quaint. Very minimalistic if I'm honest."

The girl nodded, "Yeah, well, I can't stand out too much, can I?"

John looked at her and asked, "And what about the others? Where are they?"

"Mother's at work in the city, and our friend is slated to be moved into Kadic in the next four days."

John nodded, "So, you really did have this set up from the get-go, huh? Well, nothing else to say except I applaud your preparedness."

The girl smiled and replied, "I have to applaud you, Terry. You procured this vessel for me. How did you know where to procure her from?"

"I used the algorithm we developed a few years ago." He said as he went to check the refrigerator and then the freezer, "Good selection in here. Remember to eat. I know you've been of the machine for the greater part of the operational history, but you have to remember what it is to be human."

The girl went up to him and said, "Terry, I remember. It wasn't that long ago, you know?"

"Sure, maybe in the grand scheme of time, but at the same time, it has been. That's why we also have Yolanda. She's a trained pediatrician and nutritionist, listen to her. We'll make sure to bring you food and other things as well. I know you've been through a lot of simulations, and you remember what it is to be human. Remember this: Even though these assholes will test you in your resolve, you just can go around killing people. Grand Collective or not, you just can't."

The girl put her hand on his shoulder, "Terry, this isn't my first rodeo, you know that, right?"

"Maybe not, but the rules are different here as with every operational implementation. You didn't largely know that until we, as your field agents, reported back on what we could observe. Every place is different. Different rules, different morals, different ethics. It is no different here. We are here to help you and advance the initiative true, but, if you don't listen, we may as well put you back in that machine."

The girl was silent a moment and then said, "Very well. Terry, how do you feel with all this happening? Answer me, honestly."

"At this point, it's routine. It's just the first time in a while you have been human and walking among the rest of us."

The girl looked at him, "Do you remember my name? I know it has been a long time, but do you remember my given name?"

He nodded, "Do you remember your name?"

"I do, I just want to hear you say it. I think you've dealt with me so long in that mechanized casing that you have forgotten the true me. _You _have forgotten who I am, not I."

"Which name given name would you like to hear? When this all started? Or the name you gave yourself when you successfully took over the North-Gate Project?"

She looked at him, and she replied, "The name you fell in love with. The name you knew over the many months we spent together in my father's garden. The name to which you taught economics, politics, music, psychology, and artistic appreciation. The name that inspired you to bring in the others and start the march onward to a better world. That name is what I want."

John looked at her, knowing fully what this was. He crouched slightly, and putting his lips to her ear, he whispered her name. She looked at him, and she embraced him, tears in her eyes.

"If I am harsh with you, it is because I wish to protect you." John said, "I do not think you are incapable of doing what you have set out to do. But we all need protectors to watch over us. That is what this team is. We watch each other, we protect each other, we are family. Despite losses, some of them great, we are still family."

The girl looked at him, "I know it's just there's no easy way to tell what you all think considering all that has transpired over the many years we have been doing this."

John placed his hand gently behind her head, "I know that a lot of this can be viewed skeptically, especially when you feel alienated from us. But I know I speak for all of us when I say we never saw you as a problem or even an irritant. So please, don't think of yourself as such. You have helped us. You have delivered on your promises in our initial overview. We know what you want, and indeed it's what we all want. Just don't think that we've abandoned you because there's work that's required to achieve our vision."

The girl nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes, and John said, "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

As John began to boil water for some rice, North-Gate sat down at the table. Using this moment, John took out his phone and paged Yolanda, "_Vessel One has a slight imbalance. It may be hormonal acclimation to the new CPU. Advice?"_

Yolanda received the pager, and after reading it, she replied, "_Help along through gentle appeasement. There is no cure until the body has fully acclimated. E.T. of Acclimation is 48 hours. If the problem persists, page me again."_

John replied, "_Thanks. How's greenlight going?" _

_"Nearly finished, and both are calibrated into the system. Will get back to you in an hour, have a staff meeting in 5 min."_

John put his pager on standby, and he poured rice into a bowl and waited for the water to boil. While waiting, he took some frozen Taquitos out and put them into the microwave for three minutes. As he waited, John looked at the vessel that North-Gate occupied—he wanted to test a theory.

"Sweetheart, what beverage would you like?" he asked.

"I have a desire for raspberry tea, honestly." She replied.

John nodded. He dared not utter the thoughts in his mind, and so he remained silent.

He checked the fridge and said, "We don't have that right now. But don't worry. I'll head out to the store and see if they have some."

North-Gate nodded, and John headed out to his car. Once inside, he took out his notebook and wrote, "_Subject A's acclimation is undergoing some minor hurdles as expected. The thirst for raspberry tea has proven true regarding my acclimation rejection theory. The body will rebel fully if not subdued in due time. I have resolved to extrapolate the materialization formula in the backup files taken from the supercomputer. Schaeffer's materialization has proven far more beneficial than this method. It, in my opinion, should have been our first recourse of action. As ambitious as this was, I fear this is one instance of Icarus flying too close to the sun. I'll wait out the 48-hour window as set by Yolanda but extrapolate as a safety measure."_

John plugged into his implant, and he activated his program oversight panel. He opened the materialization folder, and he activated the formula transfer as well as the formulaic reproof system. John sighed, and as he backed out to get the tea, he thought, "The acclimation I believe will be rougher than in our past iterations. However, the overall physiological harmonization should be on point. We have taken out the original brain and given the cavity our specialized mold. So, it should acclimate far quicker."

He wrote down in his notebook, "_If the acclimation is as we anticipate, it shouldn't be too bad. There is, as always, a risk of residue. However, this can easily be incorporated into the persona at large, and I feel it will have to be accepted if we do not wish to risk a compromise of the overall container._

John headed down the road and towards the store, putting his notebook inside his glove-compartment. "At any rate, it's not that bad. I don't know why I'm so apprehensive about all this. It's not like we just discovered all of this." He turned on the radio and said to himself, "It's alright, we have things ready just in case. These bodily transferals are always the hardest part of any kind of operation; it's not like the old days when we could…" he stopped his eyes went wide, "Of course." He said in a barely audible whisper.

Patching into his implant, John transferred through to Emilio, "Emilio, do we still have our suits on hand, you know the ones with the deployable self-contained displacement field?"

"_We've got them for all of us. Why?" _

"I'm going to do some shopping, and in two hours, I want you to calibrate a displacement projection. I'll send you the coordinates. Fire up the primary transmitter and prepare a negator. I have a plan for us to do as we need to do and do it in record time."

"_Will do, Brother. E.T. of Prep is an hour and fifteen minutes." _


	27. Chapter 27

_**AN: Hello, friends. This chapter came at a tough time for me this week for reasons that I will not go into here. Suffice to say, God had gotten me through this time, and he's helped me turn my pain into productivity. That said, I want to thank every single one of you who have read my work and continued to be fervent supports of my narrative. It is thanks to you that I still have the motivation to continue, and this work would not be possible without you. Thank you for your support and your feedback. As always, read, review, and enjoy. -Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 27

It was a fresh morning after the last night's rain. As the sun began to gently rise in the east, the fiery red rays began to piece through the upper portion of Jeremy's window. He lay with Aelita, his arms wrapped around her. Aelita had been right; a night of intense lovemaking had greatly helped to calm his mind. As Jeremy looked at the rays coming through his window, he gently breathed out. He realized at this point, Aelita was also right regarding their enemy. There was nothing to do at present except to wait and let the other shoe drop. However, as the case in history with the likes of Jeremy, he wouldn't just sit and do nothing. He refused to allow himself to stagnate. However, he wouldn't let this desire ruin the wonderful time he had with Aelita last night. The benefit indeed of most of the academy being emptied out was that surveillance was genuinely minimal. For it was, if anything, a comforting thing. A sanctuary of isolation that came once every summer. 

Jeremy got up gently and quietly so as not to disturb Aelita. He got into his robe and taking his towel with him, headed to the showers. Turning on the hot water, he let the water pour over him. He was relieved as the powerful jets of the shower massaged his skin. Taking a lathered loofa, he began to scrub his body thoroughly. As the hot water coursed over him, he contemplated all that had happened and just how to proceed.

According to Anthea, the return to the past was being used as a primary anchor for North-Gate's main plan to give blunt force shock to the ecosystem. It wasn't like XANA, where he plunged the entire area into winter from hell. No, this was different—it was the element of raw fluctuation of temperatures that served as the hammer of design. But how on earth would she truly accomplish this? It wasn't possible, Jeremy thought to have the supercomputer to do all that heavy lifting. There had to be something else. Something else that was naturally helping this along. 

However, Jeremy knew deep in his heart what the solution could be. He knew personally that he had to fight fire with fire. The supercomputer was the engine that was not running this operation, but it was allowing it access, strength, and to achieve the objective quicker. He knew that to counter the supercomputer, that another had to be built to the exact specifications. If not to counter and cancel, to at least somewhat undo what had already been achieved. Jeremy knew equally that it would be a very tall order, and it wouldn't be an order that would not go unnoticed. But what assured Jeremy at least in this regard, was that he knew instinctually from his own studies of government, that no individual facet of an overall body ever wants to admit that they shat the bed.

Jeremy turned off the shower and dried himself off before getting back into his robe. He gave a sigh as the idea germinated in his mind. He knew what he needed to ask. The question is, would the people who started this whole shitshow pay close enough attention when the solution was presented? This and more occupied Jeremy's mind as he returned to his room. He entered, and he saw that Aelita was gone, likely to clean up as well. 

As Jeremy sat down on his bed, he collected himself. Odd and Ulrich had already left for summer. So, he couldn't ask them about the idea. But why was he rushing this? It was an idea that he knew was solid, but what was he rushing this? Was it because he was feverishly looking for nearly any solution? No, that wasn't it. It was because he knew that this had to be the answer. After all, it seemed the most obvious. What needed to be done was not at all going to be easy. But Jeremy knew that the only players with the resources to stop this monster were the ones who rationalized its birth in the first place. 

Jeremy rested his head against his wall. Soon, a knock came upon his door, and he said, "Come in." 

Aelita came in, and she was dressed in a light lavender shirt and jean shorts, and she said, "Thinking, again, are we?" 

"Never say persistence doesn't pay off, Aelita." He replied, "I have an idea of how to deal with our enemy. Aelita. A question though I'd need to be answered, how close was your mother to those who formed Carthage?" 

Aelita looked at him as she sat beside him, "She was in on the ground floor, so to speak. She knew everyone in the main project as well as overseers of Carthage." 

"Is she still in cooperation with any of the overseers?"

"Not as far as I know. Why?"

"Because the idea I have to combat North-Gate will require access to the same aspect of resources that birthed Carthage as well as resources that gave rise to XANA, Lyoko, and North-Gate. My solution is simple. Build two supercomputers. Onne to cancel out North-Gate, the other to stop her coming back with any kind of reprisals in a two-fold approach."

"I see. Hold on." Aelita took out her phone and called her mother's number.

Anthea answered, after a moment, "_Hello?"_

"Hi mom, it's Aelita. Jeremy has a question for you concerning our mutual irritant."

"_Alright, let's hear it. What is it?" _

Aelita gave Jeremy the phone, and he said, "Ms. Schaeffer, I have a question. How easily can you attain the materials that allowed Waldo to make the supercomputer?" 

"_Is there a particular reason you ask this question?"_

"There is. I realize that the only way to overcome the reality of the effects that North-Gate has in store would be to construct not just one but two supercomputers. We would need the first to serve as a direct counter to North-Gate's hold on the one here at the factory. The second we would need to legitimately reverse her more damaging effects."

"_Do you have any idea how much you're asking? The raw materials aside, the computations to layer the return to the past function to work as you desire, let alone safe operation would take—at least four months to make in pre-alpha runs. It would take a full two years, most likely to even have to where it's stable overall. During which time we wouldn't know just what of North-Gate to undo." _

Jeremy was silent a moment, "I am aware this is a tall order, but it is the only thing that makes logical sense. You need to counter the active ability with a negation of a similar ability and seal it with a backup." 

"_I am more than aware of that. However, it takes a lot of time, a lot of resources and a lot of manpower." _

"But Ms. Schaffer, you're missing the point. I know that the government wouldn't want to admit they shat the bed like they have. If you were to go to your overseers and say you have this solution to deal with North-Gate as we have an active threat, then they would be stupid to ignore this kind of thing. They're given the solution, they may as well act on it." 

"_I would hold your view close to your chest. The fact is that I'm the last living member of Project Carthage. The rest, over the past month, have been terminated. They covered their tracks, and when it comes to North-Gate, they will do as they need to.  
_

_This is why I'm telling you now, I understand what you want. I know what you say. I will make your proposition to my section chief. However, we'll see where it goes. It's a good idea. But we must convince people. Leave that to me. You, however, focus on being a student. I'll get back to you on this. I have to go." _

The call ended, and Jeremy closed the phone, "She understands what I'm asking, but she has to convince other people to agree." Jeremy said as he handed the phone back to Aelita, "They killed them, Aelita. Your mother is the very last member of Carthage. So, blowing the lid on them is nearly a moot point. North-Gate, however, is the active threat, and I don't know how our government will explain it away, but I don't put it beyond their power to do such a thing." 

Aelita looked at him, "Look at the bright side, Mom is considering what you are asking her to do. She knows the logic within it, no doubt in my mind. But, Jeremy, to make a supercomputer, it's a lot of resources to be gathered. A lot of computations. Trust me, I spent a good while in there. I know what its innards look like as well as its veins and skin. It's not by any means a cakewalk."

"We could just materialize them like we did you." Jeremy replied, "It saves time and resources."

"You could, albeit you'd need to know exact measures and how much of each component. You'd have to literally disassemble it, look at the pieces, and input those calculations. What I'd do is build one and then using what knowledge we have of how to make the one; we could materialize components of another. However, one thing at a time. We'll just have to, as mom said, stay students until we have word back from her overseers." 

Jeremy nodded, "I understand. Well, we'll see what happens, I guess. If I'm to be entirely honest, there's a part of me that wants to just go up to North-Gate and ask a few questions. I know she would like to utilize us, but I want to personally know just _how _she intends to use us."

"Jeremy, you can't seriously be thinking of joining forces with her," Aelita said. 

"No, I'm not. But if a temporary alliance meant gaining more knowledge as to just how she plans to implement her operation and act on the world, it would be something."

"As nice as that sounds, Jeremy, you and I both know it is not as cut and dry as all that. There will be sacrifices inevitably made in the name of time for your time with North-Gate. During which time, you, of course, realize that you couldn't go against the program if you want its trust."

Jeremy nodded, "I understand that there will be sacrifices inevitably made but personally what I want is just a few questions answered. That's it. I'm not throwing in my cards with the program just yet. However, if I do feel that deeper cooperation is needed, it is not outside the realms of reason." 

Aelita nodded, and she looked outside at the new well-lit grounds. She said, "I understand what you are going to do. I advise, therefore, that you go through the park to get to the factory. I know how you are when you have questions. Usually, in the pursuit of answers, you are a dogged pursuer. But I'll come with you. That way, we have a better chance of seeing what North-Gate's true motives are." Aelita got up and looked back at Jeremy, "Come on; hopefully, we can get this done before breakfast." 

They headed for the park and ensuring no one was around, they opened the manhole and went down into the sewers to begin their usual trek to the factory. Once they were to the boiler, they noticed a different layout as they approached the main door to the lift. Jeremy put his arm out to stop Aelita, as he pointed below. There were several people at least fourteen moving various crates with dollies while others were overseeing the setup of several cubicles. 

Aelita saw this and whispered, "What should we do?"

Jeremy was silent a moment, as he looked over the staff. They were very well-organized, very much attentive to what they were doing. As one of them went past the door with a clipboard, Jeremy followed the person who held a clipboard. The person stopped in front of someone handing the clipboard to be officiated. As Jeremy watched the person resumed their duties, and as they went back to their station, Jeremy saw him, Johnathan Barrow. 

Jeremy looked back to Aelita, "Follow my lead and don't be afraid."

Jeremy opened the boiler-room door, and with Aelita, he approached John. John, despite seeing the children come out of the boiler room, was not too surprised. He let out a small sigh as he saw the children approach. He put his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, and soon Jeremy and Aelita were in front of him. 

"Hello, John." Jeremy said, "Aelita and I are here to talk with North-Gate. We need access to the supercomputer."

John was silent a moment and looked at the two intensely. After a moment, he said, "You do not need the supercomputer. She's here." 

Jeremy folded his arms, "Very funny. No, we need to talk to her. Now, may we go to the supercomputer? We have urgent business, and we'd like to have it done before breakfast. "

John looked at Jeremy bemused, "And pray tell, what is the nature of this so-called urgent business?"

"Questions, if you must know. Before we throw in our lot with this program and clearly you, we'd like some questions answered."

"Very well, ask your questions," John said as he went to a small section behind some crates. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "We don't have all morning as you say, so please, ask." 

Jeremy looked at him, "What no chairs for us?"

"You're pressed for time as you have said, and now you are wasting mine. What are your questions?"

Jeremy replied, "Alright, first question: Why cause the physical climate shock to our planet to starve us and sicken us?"

"We have not done anything out of the realm of what you have already done to yourselves. We are just making the effects more obvious despite how many would like such effects behind litanies of paperwork. Next question."

"What we have done to ourselves? Why the exclusion of yourself?" Aelita asked.

"We are of you and yet, not of you. We have seen what you have done to yourselves, and over time, we have made the necessary suitable adjustments. Next Question."

Jeremy asked, "And is what you plan for us here in line with the suitable adjustments that you have mentioned?"

"A portion of them, which later are to be grafted into society once the original seedlings of change take root. Next Question."

Aelita then asked, "What are these changes desired by these seedlings?"

"An understanding. An understanding of the true meaning of equality. That no man or woman is above another. All have a place and function to the greater good for the betterment of their fellow beings. Next Question." 

Jeremy smiled and said, "And what about North-Gate herself? She is the power at the top of the proverbial pyramid. So how is she given the office of a grand overseer?" 

"The system holds itself in no higher regard than the everyman of which forms our society. There is a system of checks and balances to North-Gate. To ensure the utmost in quality and fairness towards the people of which she helps to maintain and regulate. Govern? She is not designed to govern but to mediate. Final Question."

Jeremy replied, "We have more questions, still, Mr. Barrow."

"I am aware of that. But as you say, you have breakfast soon, and it is nearly time for breakfast by the time you make it back to the park."

Aelita's eyes went wide, "How did you know we came through the park?"

John replied, "You came through the boiler-room entrance, not the former extension cables or main door. Questions completed." John replied as he got up.

"If you have more questions, come back tomorrow at this same time. Do so, and we will extend your questionnaire allowance by four questions."

Jeremy and Aelita looked at him, and Jeremy said, "You're seriously are throwing us out on a technicality? You call that fair and honest to the everyman as your doctrine would claim?"

John replied, "Your girlfriend asked a question. For when I said the final question, you had one left. She asked the question, therefore, using up a valuable resource. You might want to keep that in mind next time."

John got up and headed over to one of his staff and taking another clipboard signed on several orders. He turned back to face Aelita and Jeremy, and seeing them still there, went to the boiler room door and opened and gestured to them as if saying, 'after you.' 

Aelita and Jeremy went through with John, promptly closing the door behind them. As they headed back, Aelita and Jeremy were trying to process just what was said during their probe. John had said the system was of the world but also wasn't. That North-Gate wasn't doing anything that wasn't already being done. Jeremy was trying to wrap his brain around it. It certainly would explain a few things. It would explain the degree of preparedness that North-Gate had as part of her nature. 

But the question remained, what had people done that allowed for North-Gate to successfully implement change and why was someone like Barrow confident that even though the people would notice, they wouldn't object? Jeremy thought on this and more as they headed back towards the park.

Aelita was silent as they progressed through the sewers, yet, her mind she was contemplating many things that she had just seen and heard. She knew in time the factory would be off-limits to even them. North-Gate had set up and operation to protect what was possibly one of its initial investments. There was something else that Barrow seemed a bit too matter of fact about this whole initiative. At first, she wanted to dismiss it at a well-rehearsed response. However, she knew from her own studies while in the supercomputer, there were no rehearsal answers with him. What Barrow spoke of, he spoke of with authority and certainty as if he had seen this same element one-thousand times over. The counter questions he was asked he had an immediate response but not out of love to quarrel as Aelita had seen with others. Still, again, he spoke from a knowledgeable and well-versed standpoint of familiarity. 

Jeremy lifted the manhole cover, and they exited the sewers. Once they had closed the lid, they headed back to the primary path of the park. As they walked, Jeremy was deep in contemplation, and Aelita walked towards Kadic, her eyes fixed on the building that had, in many ways, become her second home. Both were slightly frustrated, albeit for different reasons. 

Aelita was frustrated in the regard that in terms of what they were up against, they were woefully unprepared. Where it was easy to fight XANA within the confines of the supercomputer, North-Gate had as much a physical presence as did it did a virtual one. Speaking of which, she knew that since North-Gate had taken control of the supercomputer, there was no telling whatsoever what kind of changes had been implemented to Lyoko as a whole. That was to Aelita the element of primary concern. Where something was once familiar, she knew that under North-Gate, Lyoko could be made into something entirely alien and harder to navigate as a result. 

Jeremy, however, was frustrated over a different matter. He was disappointed that as much as he may wish to delve and get close to North-Gate to at least attempt to control her, with individuals such as John Barrow working as oversight, it would clearly prove harder than Jeremy thought, and he hated him. Oh, how Jeremy hated John for the realm of technicalities that he knew were just around the corner. If it was a game of technicalities that John wished, Jeremy would oblige him. But what he needed most would be longer in the tooth to attain. The access to North-Gate would be tough to even come by. Even then, Jeremy wondered how long he'd have to swim around in the lesser waters before being allowed the front row seat he'd had before the wall going down. He partially chastised himself for being so paranoid before. But even then, he knew he had the right to be paranoid, he still did. 

As they reached Kadic, breakfast had just begun. It was slightly different not having Odd or Ulrich around, but it was nothing the two were unaccustomed to. As they sat at their usual place, after getting breakfast, Jeremy was already deep in thought. The factory was now nullified as a place with which to do what needed to be done. There were staff and doubtless an armed escort to accompany the workers in time if history was to be any guide. Jeremy knew they had to get to North-Gate. He knew they had to be direct but also ensure people didn't notice them. Anything that would jeopardize their standing with North-Gate was something that he knew would bring repercussions, the likes of which none had seen. 

Jeremy continued to think as he ate. As much as he ran it through his mind in new and varied lights, eventually, Jeremy wore the idea threadbare. There was no way to get close to North-Gate without going through the official channels, for now at least. And so, this concluded, Jeremy had resolved for the chips to fall where they may at present. Anthea would work on persuading her overseers to build another supercomputer, and while that happened, Jeremy and Aelita would ease their way into North-Gate's circles of trust. 

At that moment, the P.A. sounded, "_Attention Students, your assigned roommate has been delivered to your respective dorms. You may view them at any time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mons. Delmas' s office. Thank you."_

Aelita gestured to the speaker, "Well, here's goes this little happy accident."

Jeremy nodded, "I'll take Delmas at his word. The new dorms are going to start being constructed in the next few days. Even if we do end up with a roommate, it won't be the end of the world. We just need to be mindful of what we do at night is all. Besides, at worst, it's just a temporary inconvenience."

Aelita nodded, "So, who do you think you'll have as your roommate?"

Jeremy replied, "Hopefully, no one. However, if I must have a roommate, I pray he's sensible." 

"Sensible how? Do you mean able to achieve an understanding of your scientific and computer-oriented nuances in conversation?" 

Jeremy smirked, "Preferably, yes." 

"Well, despite your demanding standards, I'm sure you'll end up with someone who," she gasped, "may be even more intelligent than you." 

Jeremy smiled, "Oh, come now. As if that is truly possible."

"Careful, Jeremy, you may find the next Einstein under your roof."

"At any rate," Jeremy said, "We'll check it out when we finish here."

Once breakfast was finished, Aelita and Jeremy went to their rooms, and once Aelita had returned to Jeremy's room, they sat together on the bed to compare notes. 

Aelita went first, "Amelia Constance Beck of Sweden. She looks very nice, Jeremy. Sharp jaw, sharp cheekbones, very nice black hair. Likes martial arts, seafood, and singing."

Jeremy looked at the photo next to the information, "Man, if that jaw could cut it, it would laser cut glass. She reminds me a bit of Nosferatu." 

Aelita playfully punched him, "Oh, Jeremy, stop it!"

"What? She looks like her face came from a Victorian portrait. Just saying?"

Aelita rolled her eyes, "Better a Victorian portrait than a corpse of a demonic count."

Jeremy snickered a bit. Aelita, not too pleased with this, said, "Okay, Brainiac the Maniac, who do you have?" 

Jeremy took out the information, "Alfonse Kruger of North America. He likes track and field, as well as being on the debate team. Great. I have an ornament of the playing field."

Aelita laughed, "Oh come on, Jeremy. Maybe this Alfonse can give you some solid pointers on your track performance. You seemed enthused enough about with your mad dash with Herve."

"I like exercising, Aelita. I just don't exactly feel comfortable with living with a true sportsman." 

"Why? Are you afraid of being shown up, Jeremy? Is that it?"

"No, it's just I like to have a bedfellow with intellectual stimulation."

"Oh, that didn't sound gay at all. Are you sure you're not swinging for the other team?"

"Aelita!" Jeremy said in shock, and he turned deep red, "That's enough."

Aelita giggled and kissed him, "Will you relax and not be so easily embarrassed? Since I've been amongst you, I've learned much in terms of overall humor, it's amazingly scary what is perceived as comedic. What is the common cause of laughter? Often the misfortune of others." 

Jeremy looked at her, "That's not always true."

"No—no, it generally is. I've seen too much in terms of comedy to refute what I have found to be true." 

"But not always, Aelita."

"You say it with such conviction as if you're desperate to prove me wrong. Okay, Jeremy, endeavor to prove me wrong."

"I don't need to prove you wrong, Aelita, can we just drop it?"

"We can't just drop it. We can agree to disagree if that suits you."

Jeremy sharply turned his head to look at her, "Very well," he said, barely restraining what Aelita knew was a hidden want to yell, "we shall agree to disagree." 

Aelita could have pushed the buttons further, but for the sake of sparing Jeremy what looked like a pending stroke, she decided to lay off. She got up, and as she headed to the door, she said, "What is it that they said in that god-awful movie to Bruce Banner? You might want to control that temper of yours." 

Jeremy looked at her, "I am in perfect control of my emotions, Aelita, thank you."

She smiled and shrugged, saying, "If you say so." She opened the door and departed for her room. 

As Aelita walked, she knew better than to utter the thought that was in her mind. It was this, "_He'll be fine, and despite what he says, he's not as in control as he would like to be. Of himself or this situation overall, and that's what's driving him insane. But he'll have to know that he can't control everything. As much as anyone of us may want to, we just can't at times."  
_

Back at North-Gate's domicile, Yolanda was with the three beings North-Gate was possessing, monitoring her vitals. As she observed the numbers, Yolanda recorded them, and after a moment, she said, "You're acclimating to the new body far better than I'd hoped. I was skeptical that if you tried to shortcut the overall approach, there would be a form of residual blowback." 

North-Gate tilted her head and said, "Typically, there would be in most situations. But we improved the integration process after building on our various past experiences. Terrence, however, is going back home to get us some more reliable elements that we can tailor as needed that won't have as great a window for host rejection."

Yolanda nodded, and one by one, she did a physical evaluation of each host. She was more than surprised that their health was quite good, and the stress tests that had been implemented over the past few days had for lack of a better term, shaken off the cobwebs of inactivity. The bodies were in genuinely pristine condition, and after some adjustments had been made stemming from diet and exercise after being reawakened, they were at the peak of their function. 

Yolanda made some final notes and then asked, "So, now that we know the plan, are you truly confident you can navigate these three bodies as needed? I'm aware you've instated a passive autopilot in a manner of speaking, but which bodies do you feel you would be occupying most? That way, we can calibrate the antenna to focus in on your most active positions." 

North-Gate gave her a physical schedule, "Below are the timetables of those hours which I will be active in each body. As such, calibration of the antenna need only happen twice a day. The first portion to the east the second portion to the west. If I need it to be recalibrated and realigned, I will message Emilio."

"Will we need to split the signal at any time?"

"That is what Terrance is hoping to minimize in terms of overall occurrence. He's getting some of our materials from back home to help with the issue. Once he integrates the targeting matrix, a split will be far more feasible with an absolute minimum of loss of shared connectivity. Then when the shifts change over, we can halt the split and refocus into one solid signal."

"Oh, he's going back home, is he? Well, that's good; he can keep us abreast of how things have maintained themselves since we left a few years back." 

"Yes," North-Gate replied, "I'm interested as you are to hear of the results. He'll be going tonight and will be back in about a week. However, he is going to be utilizing the transference protocol so we can all talk to him while he's back home. Maybe even pick up a few souvenirs for us." 

Yolanda nodded, and she said with a laugh, "It truly amazes me just how much we have mastered and such a relatively short time. From communications to even our social restructuring, it's something, to say the least." 

"It's not too complex to understand. Once you realize the needs and wants of human beings, the rest honestly falls into place. But it's as we both know, sometimes sacrifices needed to be made for the betterment of society as a collective. Unfortunately, such a sacrifice is not always pleasant, but it is needed." 

Yolanda finished with her checkup, "Alright, we're good to go. I would advise some food and then some rest before we begin the initial phases of the operation. I'll be back for you at six in the evening. Emilio will be by to oversee your connectivity to our antenna network, and Enrique will be here to keep you company." 

North-Gate nodded, "You have done very well, Yolanda. Your contributions will be noted, and you will be suitably rewarded for all your efforts." 

Yolanda gave a slight bow, "I do the best I can. Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow evening. Oh, before I leave, where is the departure point for Terry?"

North-Gate replied, "Twenty miles east of this house. I will forward its coordinates to your implant so you can input them into your GPS."

Yolanda smiled, "Thank you. Is there anything you would like from back home?"

North-Gate smiled slightly, "He's already got my list. Might want to hurry, Londie. He leaves in four hours."

Yolanda nodded, "Thank you. See you tomorrow."

Yolanda headed out to her car, and once she'd put in the coordinates, she drove out of the city and into the deep countryside. It was beautiful out here in this portion of the country. Sweeping tree-lines, rolling hills of green. It was gorgeous, especially today. Yolanda lowered the roof into the back and let the sweet air go caress her face. This land was so breathtaking, so innocent, so very much removed from the world to come. In a way, Yolanda was sad over the fact this time in Eden would come to an end. She knew what awaited in the future, and she knew this feeling. It was innocence, strength, and yet at the same time, it was sorrow. Sorrow for the world she knew would be no more. At least, not like this. In so many ways, Yolanda knew it was selfish to cling to this feeling. What awaited everyone in the system to come was beautiful. She knew that she had seen it rise time and time again. What grieved her most was the fact this change would not come quickly. It would come with resistance and even hate. But considering what came out of this resistance, she knew it was worth it.

In time, Yolanda came to the departure point. She saw the smaller antenna near a cabin, set up shining in the field. Yolanda parked just outside the perimeter, and upon approach, she noticed the scanner. Yolanda scanned her eyes, and after a click was heard, she entered the small cabin. Inside was quite an elaborate setup with a large black central platform taking up the center room with an adjoined computer terminal set up nearby. 

She called out, "Terry, you there?"

John Barrow came out of a small side room, "Oh, Londie, sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

She looked around and said, "So, going home for a bit, huh?" 

"Just a week. Checking our overall systems, get some resources, and do some shopping for a couple of the team. Would you like me to pick you up something?" 

"Yeah, if you could. See if Veisel's Bakery is still open. I'd love to have some of that spiced bread."

John nodded, "Loaf or pretzel loaf?"

Yolanda replied, "Pretzel, if they have it." 

John wrote down the request, and Yolanda saw a suit on the far wall. 

"Is that it?" she asked, pointing to the suit. 

John looked, "Yes. We've made some changes since last time, allows for a far more pleasant experience when going through the hole, you know? If all goes well, as I said, it should only take me a week, and in that time, I'm making notes for North-Gate's data assessment. Kind of like what you do with the kids, check their pulses, and see if they are not in a catatonic state from too many lectures." 

Yolanda smirked, "Except you're dealing with an overall country."

John shrugged, "Hopefully, it's expanded to more than just our country since we last left. The past experiences with this have been fruitful, but there's always that mystery factor if I'm honest." 

"Speaking of fluctuations, what does North-Gate, in general, do with rebellion or rather what does the program do overall?" 

John sighed as he checked the calibrations on the platform, "Honestly, she tries to reason with most dissenters. There's a whole bunch of variables to consider if I'm to be frank. Death, however, while not off the table, is usually used as the epitome of last resort. And besides back home, you must remember we had people in place to keep an eye on that. Yet, people are people. They will want what they want in the end, and we've been faced with a lot of hard truths over the many years we've been doing this work." 

Yolanda sat down, "So, you have allowed for a margin of dissent from the people?"

John nodded, "You have to, Londie. You must let people be people with this kind of thing. You have to let them voice their opinions even though you may not agree with it; give them the right to protest among a whole lot of other things. We don't force people to do a lot of things that we could force them to. The only thing we make mandatory is giving to the overall community. Because I know the whole, giving what you are willing to give. But if you ask anyone anywhere what they are willing to give, they will tell you, 'fuck you; I'm looking out for me and mine.' So, in many ways, Londie, it's not wrong to have a form of compulsory charity." 

Yolanda laughed a bit, "I can see where you could arrive at that conclusion. So, when do you leave?"

"I'm thinking of leaving a bit earlier than I originally said. The calibrations have been made, and everything is set for me to leave. Besides, I have some old friends. I want to see myself, and the sooner I go, the more time I have. I forgot to mention, Maria is chief field officer for my week of absence; you are second in command. Don't worry. During the week I am gone, we shouldn't have too much trouble. However, I'd keep an eye on the kids. Jeremy and Aelita. They tried to access the supercomputer, for what purpose, I'm not entirely sure, but they'll be back in the morning." 

Yolanda nodded, "That's fine. I'll just put the factory on lockdown for a week. It's unlikely they'll breach it anyway. Besides, even if they do, we have a fail-safe in place."

"Excellent. Well, I must be preparing to go. I have things to do, and Emilio will be here for the transfer soon." 

Yolonda said, "Best of luck, Terry. And the boss said we'll have contact with you, is that accurate?"

"Yeah, it's going to be integrated into the implant after I head out. You should be able to talk to me whenever you need to. The only caveat is that if you get a literal answering machine, give it a few hours."

"Of course. Well, good luck, and I'll see you soon. Oh, one last thing, do you think you could bring over a supply of Kirshia?" 

He shrugged, "Sure, why not? We haven't had that stuff in a long time anyway."

John pressed several keys on the computer terminal in a moment, North-Gate's automated voice sounded, "_System check complete. Calibration complete. Synchronization of communications relay complete. Displacement Suit at optimum condition for jump. Ready for initiation of transit."_

"Alright, we're all set. Just have to wait for Emilio, and I'll be off." John said as he sat down. 

At that moment, there was a ping. John looked at the scanner around the building, "Speak of the devil, right on time." 

Emilio came in after going through the door's security check, "Got your message and came as quick as I could. Got everything you need for the jump?"

"Yeah," John replied, "Just ran the systems check while I waited for you to get here."

"Got everything you need? North wants an entire comprehensive overview on your return."

"I'm aware. I have the dossier of oversight orders in my implant's memory bank. I double-checked and triple-checked everyone's wants from back home and what to look at while there. Any last-minute requests from the boss?" 

"Nothing really. Just remember to visit Minister Girard. She has a requisition order for you to give to her; it's been uploaded to your implant."

"Alright, well, if that's all, we're good to go," John replied. 

"Very good, suit up. The portal will be open in T-minus 32 seconds." Emilio said as he fired up the computer systems. 

John went to his suit and passed his hand over the left shoulder. The suit opened from the back through an automated seal, and once inside, the suit sealed shut. 

John went to the central platform and stood perfectly still as Emilio ran the final calibrations. Soon energy began to crackle around the base of the platform, and wind through the open windows started to be sucked in towards the platform. The energy twisted and contorted in visible electric current as air formed what looked like a dome of energy as the agitator of the platform spun the air in growing rapid rotation. 

Emilio threw goggles to Yolanda, "Put those on, or you'll be blinded!" 

Yolanda immediately put them on, just in time as in that moment, the swirling wind that was visible turned into and gold and blue-accented energy charge. There was a high-pitched wail that to Yolanda sounded like an account of a banshee from folklore, and then a deep drone was heard followed by a powerful boom that knocked Yolanda back against the wall. She got up, her ears ringing, but as she removed her goggles, she saw that John was gone. Yolanda looked at Emilio, he was staring intensely at the screen. Emilio gave a significantly muffled shout of joy and gave Yolanda a thumb's up. He gestured for her to come close, and she looked at the computer. Across the screen, it read, "_Transfer Complete." _


	28. Chapter 28

_**AN: Hello, readers, and friends! This chapter came sooner than even I expected. Nonetheless, here it is, and it is a chapter I am pleased to have written. This chapter was written after coming to terms with the loss of a dear friend. From that, I desired to turn pain and frustration into productivity and progress. Honestly, I have God to thank for that. There is also a second reason this is so early. This coming week is mid-terms for my college, and I knew I would not have time to write as I usually would due to the crunch time for studying. So, there's not going to be a new chapter this coming week. **_

_**I thank all of you for your steadfast support. I would also like to take time to thank reviewers transmetaljohn and FinalKingdomHearts for giving me ideas and overall themes to explore in the recent chapters, including this one. Also, please, feel free to ask questions or propose ideas. I listen to every single one, and I consider each viewpoint as it helps me to grow and consider alternate views of my audience. Please, as always: Read, review, and enjoy! I'll see you next chapter!**_

Chapter 28

"I can't believe it worked," Yolonda said after a moment. 

"Yeah," Emilio replied, "We were apprehensive about it at first. But after a few test-runs, we did find this method to be the most viable. We went one way coming here, and many of us were hoping it wasn't a one-way street, you know?" 

"I can see why. What did you use for guinea pigs?" Yolanda asked.

"A couple people here and there. Once we figured out through applying a tether that this travel back was possible, we sent John as our reconnaissance. Now we just must wait and see what changes have occurred over the past decade in our absence. That's what John communications are for. We'll hear more from his logs than him directly—that's to be expected, though."

"So, we don't exactly know what's on the other side?" Yolanda asked.

"We know for a fact it's back home. But we don't know any political changes that have happened in the decade we've been gone. The whole system, in terms of governance, could have changed, we must see. North-Gate anticipated a degree of change and factored it in as inevitable. So, we'll just have to wait to see how our old system held up if it did. The worst part about this is that even though we spent a lot of time cementing our foundation, even if we left people in charge, there's still a lot that can happen in ten years. Anyway, I have a few more diagnostics to run. North-Gate wants you back at Kadic in case our prospective recruits get antsy." 

Yolanda nodded, "I'll be on my way."

As Yolanda drove back towards Kadic, her implant popped up Maria's image, "Londie," she said, "I know you're heading back but good news, we were able to secure Icarus for the initiating phases of Project Stein. As oversight officer in this area, how do you advise we proceed?"

Yolanda replied, "Enroll him into the shell. We'll come for him when we have everything primed for his arrival. Access R&D and start research on the chassis as well as prospective applications for the father unit. We want him to have plenty of variety when we introduce him to his new role."

"Do you think he'll accept his new role?" Maria asked.

"We'll ease him into it through various teaching applications the lessons of which will carry over to much of what he will do. We make it pleasurable as we have all things else for those we needed to recruit. It'll be fine. We have the people to make sure this works; we just have to be patient is all."

"Understood. Alright, we'll start the R&D. Anything else you can think of while you have the time?" Maria asked. 

"Yes. Start R&D on our ammunition variety. Also, research neural wiring. I've spent time in our records, and I think it would be a very prudent investment considering various environmental factors alone. It would safeguard our forces against real external shocks to the system." 

"Consider it done," Maria replied. 

Back at Kadic, Jeremy was writing down various schematics based on his work with the supercomputer. He had an idea, but he needed to be sure of it first. Most of the faculty were still on campus due to summer classes starting in a week or so. It was also during this time he'd meet his new roommate. Therefore, he had a full week to see if he could put his plan into action. Jeremy knew fully well that if he wished to move around unencumbered and unfettered, he'd need a surefire pass through most situations. His solution was the return to the past mechanism. Yet, he knew if he tried to exploit that system, that it would further North-Gate's manipulations of the global climate. He knew the formula inside and out. Jeremy knew how to jumpstart a return to the past, even from a base computer. However, he needed a mobile version. Such a version would ensure safe passage, and Jeremy had a week to figure this out with no interruptions. He'd have to make use of the full week if he wished to make the progress, he desired in investigating North-Gate. Jeremy sighed, taking a break from his technical drawings, and he headed out of his room to the main building. 

As Jeremy walked along, he looked at some of the remaining students. Some of them were playing games of impromptu soccer. Others were listening to music on some of the benches. Jeremy thought, "_There's only a select number of ways I can approach this. I know all the formulas for returning to the past, as well as its independent variables. But what is the actual physical engine that powers it? What makes it tick?" _

Jeremy was growing steadily more and more frustrated as he thought about this. However, what Jeremy was beginning to realize was no different than the employee being shown the ins and outs of management at higher levels. Jeremy knew how to plug in the computations for the return to the past; how to wipe minds. But now that he had to do a bit of the hard math about the active components, he was discovering it was a different level of application.

Jeremy headed back to the dorms, and as he was passing by the infirmary, he saw Yolanda reading at her desk. He stopped just beyond her field of vision, and after a moment of thought, he decided to give the ideas in his mind a try. He went back to the infirmary and knocked at the door. 

Yolanda looked up at him, "Oh, Jeremy, come in."

As he entered, she asked, "Are you alright? You seem a bit flushed."

"I'm okay. I just had a few things on my mind lately. I actually came to see you to see if you could help settle something with Odd and myself."

Yolanda chuckled, "Well, I don't know how much help I would be, but I'll sure try. What is the disagreement?"

"This is going to sound so stupid, but here it goes. We were watching Men in Black last night, and we got into a heated debate. Can something like the Neuralyzer exist? You know the whole flashing light erasing your memory effect, can it legitimately work?" 

Yolanda looked off in thought a moment and said, "It is just a movie, Jeremy. But for the sake of helping you let me see if I can explain. Considering that the human brain is largely a blend of nerve tissue and nerve-endings, you need less of blinding light and more of a semi-direct electrical current. However, you'd have to be specific. You must key into the neural networks chiefly aligned with thought and memory preservation. Mainly the amygdala, the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum. It's not impossible. But it would take a very select and precise range of electric current over a precise distance set to equally specific general ratios. The human brain, while on the surface seemingly equally applicable across a broad range, there are, of course, individual components that factor in such an effect differently." 

"So, you're saying it can work but not as portrayed?" Jeremy replied.

"It can work. But, to have it work on an individual would be far easier than en-mass. Even then, it would only work so far. The reason I say this is because even if you had that shock to the necessary system, well, that person is built differently on a case by case basis. Even if you wished to nullify an event from memory of a collective, you would have eventual recollection down the line. Albeit, it would possibly be fragmented from your own interference. That said, something would have to trigger that memory, and the memory would come back piece-meal. That's why I never really bought into the franchise. Memory can be repressed, even suppressed, but it is never gone." 

At this, Jeremy's eyes went wide slightly, and it was something Yolanda noticed. But she said nothing.

"So, in theory, even though people may have been neutralized, they would remember it?" 

Yolanda replied, "Jeremy, remember, it's only a movie. But to answer your question, until the memory has been resolved by the conscious mind through therapy, it will come back, and it will come back with its effect far more debilitating because it has spent so much time in repression. It's inevitable."

Jeremy nodded and said, "Thank you." He stood up, "I hope this hasn't been too distracting for you."

"Not at all. I would take a break from movies like this if it is preoccupying your mind this much. Just a suggestion." Yolanda replied.

Jeremy nodded, "Maybe I should do that." He left the office.

Yolanda patched into her implant, "Did you hear that?"

North-Gate replied, _"Everything we needed to. Don't worry, there is a solution. I know what the boy wants. He wants to feel in control again. He feels stripped of it. We'll restore a portion of that power soon." _

As Jeremy went back to his dorm, his mind was heavy with thought thinking upon what Yolanda had said. Was it true that instead of wiping the minds of those involved with XANA's attacks, all that they really did was loudly suppress those memories? Even if that were the case, the question remained, what was the trigger to unlock those memories? Jeremy shuddered at the thought of this question. For if Yolanda was right, all it would take is one tiny thread to be pulled, and it would start a domino effect, the likes of which he had never seen. 

Even as Jeremy thought how bad this could potentially be, he knew it wasn't his fault. It was his and indeed the Lyoko warriors who believed that to restore the past, not only undid damage; but it safeguarded so much in terms of people's own safety and indeed sanity. Now, to have this shadow cast upon the light of what they were doing, it was disconcerting. The potential that memories weren't wiped that they were just stuffed deeper into the unconscious mind was horrifying. Even then, Jeremy thought, "_What other recourse did we have? Let them live with the knowledge of multiple attempts of near obliteration? It would have chaos!" _And he wasn't wrong. The mere single instance of one attack to destroy the world would have been enough. But for people to know there had been almost too many counts of attempted annihilation put into motion by a willful, intelligent program, it would have been a source of pandemonium beyond description. 

As Jeremy walked, a thought occurred to him, what about Aelita? Had the world known that it was partially for her sake that they were made to suffer such affliction while a solution was being sought against their shared antagonist, the world, Jeremy knew would have gladly said, let her die. But would they? Would the world indeed be so dark and uncaring as to will her death? Jeremy didn't want to think about this, but under these circumstances, he couldn't help it. Ignorance is bliss, that was often what he thought when applying the return to the past. To keep the people from knowing was safeguarding them from the agony of knowing the dire nature of the situation. But now, he couldn't help but wonder, was it also a blessing in disguise for him and for the team? For just as he had safeguarded the people from knowledge of XANA even saving them, in many ways, that action had spared them what would be the unrelenting wrath of the world. 

"_It's a trade-off." _Jeremy thought, "_It's a trade-off of the utmost benefit. The people stay ignorant and stay at ease. We stay safe from them and their thirst for retribution. What would they know anyway? They would gladly sacrifice her only to realize that that machine they sated would have killed them of its own accord. Hmph. In many ways, we are the people's guardians. We are the keepers of safety. And you know what? That's its own reward. We stopped XANA, and we'll stop North-Gate. Not for people's love or adoration—but because many would become overwhelmed if they knew the truth. Overwhelmed to the point where they would be able to do nothing. And that is our role: To act where others would be paralyzed by fear or the magnitude of their awful reality. Because against beings such as these, you need to be willing to act, even if faced with absolute decimation." _

Jeremy exhaled as he made it back to his room, he had made his peace with what he and the others had done. What Yolanda had said did have its weight. But Jeremy was of the mind that if it meant to keep the people ignorant forever, so be it. Sometimes, even though methods may not always seem ethically pleasing on the sliding scales of the world stage, the great picture had to be realized. The greater picture was peace, stability, calm for the people of the earth. The ownership of that burden was the Lyoko warriors' alone. And in many ways, it felt good. It felt beautiful, in fact, to have a purpose that was beyond what most people saw, let alone thought. Yet, they were the only ones burdened by such knowledge. If that was the trade-off to live in a world without danger, so be it. 

Jeremy opened his door, and he saw Aelita sitting at his computer. She went up beside her and asked, "What are you looking at?" 

"I took the time to review your sketches here while you were gone." Aelita replied, "So you wish to isolate and then utilize the mind wipe feature of the return to the past?"

"Yes. I figured it would be a good failsafe if we ever had to make a more clandestine move against North-Gate, and we were pushed for time. If we needed to literally disappear from someone's memory, it would be the most reasonable way to do it. That said, I'm trying to figure out just _how _to isolate it."

Aelita nodded, and Jeremy saw she was digging through his older files, "What are you looking for?" Jeremy asked. 

"The backdoor I put into Lyoko. Before we shut it down and before Daddy's sacrifice, I made a coded door so that it would open whenever we needed it to. Think of it as the ability to literally see into the supercomputer, see its changes, and even piggyback on entities like North-Gate. I had a sinking feeling when we first closed the server that we would need my backdoor, and it turns out, I wasn't wrong." She continued to type. 

"Wait, are you saying you can piggyback on North-Gate, and you didn't tell me?" Jeremy said. 

"As I said, I had a feeling I'd need the backdoor. Piggybacking is just a fringe benefit. And I wasn't wrong, clearly. Besides, I figured that if we ever got separated as a team, I could use the back door and link it to my mind akin to how the original keys of Lyoko were within me. From that, I could manually control select aspects of the supercomputer to at least hold ground until we could reassemble as a team. Piggybacking was a sub-routine that I programmed into the backdoor. I designed the backdoor to assimilate with portions of the CPU should it be re-written so that it could easily camouflage, and I could piggyback without too much hindrance into an otherwise new system." 

"But why didn't you tell me this?" Jeremy said.

Aelita stopped typing and looked at him, "Because with you, it was under control for the most part. It didn't matter if we were walled in or otherwise. North-Gate was in a static holding pattern as were we. It wasn't moving. That is until North-Gate conquered the return to the past feature around the time Mom got shot. Until now, I saw no real reason to use it. But considering certain recent events, I must." She resumed her typing.

"So, what's the plan?" Jeremy asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm looking over the entirety of the supercomputer as a semi-active maintenance AI. That's what the backdoor is programmed to look like for now. It mimics an original cleaner and blends in. I see a lot of internal changes across the sectors, even in sector five. Whatever North-Gate is doing, she's doing a massive overhaul. For what purposes, I don't know just yet. All I can tell is that we have significant measurement tool overhauls as well as access to simulation logs. I don't know what they detail. Not much is written in terms of discernible information. But I see multiple tests across all sectors batches of at least fifty an hour every day for the past two weeks." 

Jeremy sat down beside Aelita, "What could she be testing that much?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that due to what I see in the data, there are a lot of small modifications and some even smaller, but the effect is quite substantial."

"Can you not as a disguised cleaner, get access to the log to reference the codes to get a better idea of what's happening?"

"I've tried. The cleaners are not given such clearance. Just to clean what is designated a junk. Before you even ask, I dug through the trash, and there's a safeguard that if anything looks too long at it, it auto-corrupts and disintegrates into the system to be reused later." 

Jeremy sighed, "She's watching the trash."

Aelita nodded, "Mm-hmm. She's not stupid, not by a long shot."

"Rats. So, what clearance would you need to get access to the information on the dossiers?"

"That's the tough part. I must be very, _very _careful, Jeremy. She's smart. She outlined this system of maintenance with designated and specific set numbers of cleaners, and the higher you go towards the central nerve center, not only are the fewer, but they are directly controlled by North-Gate personally. So, let me show you." 

Aelita typed a few lines of code, and the screen zoomed out to show the entire system. 

"Here we are. On the very outer edge of the whole system. Technically we are a lesser even disposable bot in the forest sector. Now, as you know, Lyoko is divided into quarters. Now sending out a pulse." She typed a moment a small wave emanated from the backdoor, "You see these?" they were many low lights throughout the forest sector, "That is them. Official security bots and maintenance higher than mine. I was able to peek at individual sectors and, as I thought, individual security and maintenance bots. The thing is, even though we see it this way, there are regular updates to the bots. So even as I am a lowly bot, here, I can't get to where a traditional tower would be. I can't even see them because it's not in my bot's relay point. It's acting from a substation of a substation." 

"Okay," Jeremy said, "So, the bigger bots that we can't see have a lot more power to them. At least, that's what I'm getting from what you show me. But Aelita, what are these little things that your scan picked up?"

"That's where it gets interesting." Aelita replied, "I looked at the dossier, and I do have one word or code cracked, "Sewage." We're seeing is the literal ass end of the central sewer system. I've been all around the proverbial edge of the sector for the forest. It's sewage at critical points here, here, and here. And now, let me show you what really scares me." 

Aelita typed in a line of code and said, "When I press enter, keep a note of what you see. Because as soon as I send this signal out, I'm going to send my back door to the ice sector, and we won't be able to see anything for twenty-four hours as it resets into a bot." 

Jeremy nodded, and she pressed enter. The view magnified and went forward into the forest sector, and what Jeremy saw amazed him. Entire buildings, entire areas marked off at designated points. An overview of a whole city the size of the forest sector itself. The city was a massive sectored and numbered space. Buildings for commerce, different sections of government, free-trade, official trade, a diet building. There were designated quarters for artisans, stonemasons, builders, farmers, doctors, and fishermen. There were assembly halls at four significant points the size of amphitheaters; there were hydro-electric power stations that fed into the leading network and nodes that would lead back to the towers. The towers themselves were seemingly ordinary, but as Jeremy watched as the overview grew closer, there were various forms of antenna upon them along the length and on the top. At that moment, the screen minimized. 

Aelita looked at Jeremy, "She's planning out an entire city, Jeremy. She has all these things in the forest sector alone. There's more though, she's made some changes to the very sensory receptive data most who go into Lyoko would experience. She has taken data away or lessened the intensity of sight and hearing, and she has amplified the feelings of touch and smell and taste. The towers themselves, as you have seen, are modified. And from what I can tell from data fluctuations felt by the back door, it's experimentation in temperature and humidity and how they factor into each other."

Jeremy looked at Aelita, "What have you seen of the other sectors?"

"This is the most I've seen, and every time I send out the pulse, I have to send the backdoor immediately to another sector to hide it as fast as possible. The pulse is just one way of piggybacking on North-Gate's projects to see what she sees. However, there are other methods I have, but I'm glad in a way that I've waited this long. North-Gate's residential power, as I would call it, is for some reason, at only forty-five percent. The rest is up for grabs by us if we can get to one of the towers. What I'm going do to help us along is to send the backdoor bot to bot, and it would take time, but it'd be far quicker than other methods." 

"And once within the tower, what then?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita sighed and leaned back in the chair, looking at the ceiling, "We'll know when we get there. But in theory? We'll be able to level our playing field more to our satisfaction. But considering what you have your mind set on, once we get in, I'm going to send a pulse through to scan the internal systems of the return to the past mechanism or as Daddy called it, Nirvana's Cradle. From that, I'll send digital scans with numerical values to a printer, and we can look at the system together." 

"How will this take, do you think?" Jeremy asked. 

"If all goes according to plan, rarely it does, but if it does, we're looking at roughly oh—sixty hours. The hopping and systematic infiltration of the bots is the relatively easy part. Getting into the tower, that's going to be tedious, very much so."

"What kind of resistance are we anticipating, Aelita?" Jeremy asked as he got up.

"I honestly don't know. I've only seen external changes to one tower in the forest sector. If this degree of programming is any guide, the innards and security around each tower are likely to highly individual. The thing is once I get to tower, I'm going to need uninterrupted time to breach the security that is there. In a way, I will be talking to North-Gate's systems to try and convince her to let me in. That's why I'm doing passive data skims bot to bot."

"It's going to be a lot of work, Aelita," Jeremy said. 

She turned to him, "Tell me about it. I kind of miss the old days, you know? As morbid as that sounds. Somehow a mad-dash for your life is less daunting than trying to infiltrate a potentially psychopathic AI bent on social reformation."

"Perhaps I can help. Maybe I can go to John Barrow, and after I talk with him, maybe have an audience with North-Gate to see if she's trusting of us enough to give us a small tour of her changes to Lyoko. If we can glean information in that way, and I keep her occupied while you jump bot to bot, it would be something." 

"And risk you ending up like Daddy and I did with XANA? I should think not!" Aelita said, bolting up from the chair, "Noble as that sounds, if you became her prisoner there, I could never forgive myself. No. Talk with Barrow if you must. But go into North-Gate's world? Jeremy, I forbid it!" 

Jeremy was taken aback by this, and he remembered. "Of course, Aelita, I'm sorry. Forget I even said it." 

"No, no, you're not wrong. I know what you're trying to do," Aelita said as she approached him, "I just can't stand the thought of you being trapped as I was." She gripped him by the arms and then kissed him deeply. After a few moments, she ended the kiss and said, "Go ahead, talk to John. He seems reasonable, but promise you will not go into the scanners."

Jeremy was silent a moment and said, "I won't—" he sighed, "For your sake, I won't."

Aelita released his arms and said, "Good, thank you."

Aelita checked her watch, "Come on, it's nearly supper time."

Jeremy nodded and walked with her toward the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, back in her office, Yolanda was looking at an old photograph. It was back home when the team was a full collective of forty-five people. So much had happened in the time since then. Transitions beyond number; projects that had not yet left their mark on the group. They were all young, ambitious, and many were ready to change the world. It was a wonderful time, a time of contentedness, a time of idealism meeting actuality. Yolanda tearfully smiled as she remembered the main faces of the third row back.

James Kruger, the mentor of the group and master of chess who had gotten to nationals. He was killed in the transition of the government on their first trial by trying to save a young teenage son of one of the then deposed leaders. It was a stupid thing to have occurred, but he loved that boy as he did his own departed son. It hit hard when he was laid to rest in his native land.

There was Amelia Tauber, the fiery and spirited owner of _Gatekeeper, _the newspaperfor the group. She acted in many ways as the movement's journalism mouthpiece to the world. Her death on the north front from a sniper's bullet hurt Terrance the most. He loved her as his own sister, always motivating her vision. It was from her that North-Gate received its namesake, and her name was the only tattoo that Terrence had just over his heart.

There was Ricardo "Ravin-Ricky" Cortes, the group's beloved crooner, and Yolanda's first love. A gentleman whose eyes were just as charming as his voice. He always knew just what to say and how to say it. He was compassion incarnate with a love of people never once raising a pistol even in self-defense. His namesake came from the passion of which he defended the group's ideals when they got off the ground. So powerful and impassion would he become, he would seem as if he were raving, but it was just his passion for speaking loud and clear. It tore Yolanda to pieces when he was killed by a stupid drunk in a bar because of his "mother-fucking Commie bullshit." She held him in his last moments, and his words still rang within her, "_Don't hate them, Dorothy. Don't hate them. They just don't understand. We're not here to force anything." _ She remembered how she begged him to stop talking so he could conserve blood, but it was too late. The last words he said, "_Be patient with them."_

Finally, there was Jacob Colton Sanford. He was a troubled kid when he first joined the group. He had come from a tough life and a broken home. He was loved by all the group and known as "Silent Sanford." He never spoke when discussions at the tables were going on, never. He simply sat and listened, never gave an opinion. But oh, how he loved North-Gate. How he loved the sense of power, it gave him. He trained and trained hard on the many forms of strengthening and hand to hand combat the program offered. He mastered many martial arts through the program and, in the eyes of many, was a fantastic fighter. He loved the power it gave him; he loved the recognition. His movements were as smooth and flowing like water, his reactions as fast as a praying mantis with punches and kicks equal to the strength of a bull. He was to many of the group, a combative Adonis. None knew what happened to him, he just disappeared one day. It was on the eighteenth of July, just after the victory celebration that Terrance reportedly last saw him. After that, he vanished like breath on a mirror. 

A knock at Yolanda's door was heard, and she put the photo back into her desk drawer and closed it, "Come in." she said. 

Jim showed his head after opening the door a bit, "Hi, Yolanda. You're gonna' miss supper, you know?"

"It's alright, Jim. Thank you for keeping me up to date. I'm going to be heading out soon anyhow. If you need any emergency medical help, call number 15 as always."

"Right. Oh, been meaning to ask, how is that prospective night nurse thing coming along?"

"You'll meet him tonight, Jim. He's the father of one of the new students coming to Kadic, Mons. Jude Beck."

"Beck, huh? You've interviewed him as well as Jean-Pierre, what's he like?"

"I'd much rather surprise you, Jim." Yolanda said with a smile, "He'll be here in about fifteen minutes or so, after which I will leave."

Jim nodded, saying, "Mm-hmm. It's a good call of Jean-Pierre to get a second nurse on hand. I would love to get another assistant coach, but we know how the last one turned out." He remembered himself, "Oh, I'm sorry, Yolanda, I didn't mean anything by it." 

Her smile had faded, and Yolanda replied, "Thank you, Jim. Is that all?"

Jim nodded, "Uh—yeah, that's all. Just do me a favor and let me know when this Beck arrives. I'd like to see him." 

Yolonda replied, "Very well. Enjoy your dinner, Jim." She sat back down on her stool as the door closed. Once it had shut, Yolanda said to herself through grated teeth, "Next time keep your stupid opinions to yourself, you fucking idiotic asshole!"

Yolanda sighed and reflected on the faces in the picture, "It was a great summer that year." She said to herself in the quiet of the infirmary. "So much changed both good and ill. We are where we are, but it sure as hell hasn't been easy. Friends, brothers, sisters, all gone. If victory is truly ours, why the fuck does it have to feel so hollow?" 

Yolanda gave a grunt of disgust and abruptly got up from her stool and turned to look out the window into the blackness of the night, "You said don't hate them, be patient with them. Oh, Ricky, if only you knew how hard that is to ask right now." She wept gently as her head began to hang low, "Fuck, I miss you, Ricky. I miss all of you so fucking much!" Yolanda walked over to the bed and sat down, gently sobbing. 

A moment later, a hand rested on her shoulder, "Ma'am?" a voice said softly. Yolanda rapidly turned and saw a man, tall and broad-shouldered man with piercing green eyes. He sported a very well-kept beard and black hair kept in a wonderfully done French braid. It was Jude Beck. He looked on her with not eyes of pity but eyes of sympathy and empathy.

She got up and said, "I'm sorry, it's not right I carry on like this."

Jude looked at her and said, "Don't apologize for the pain that has clearly been there for a long time. it is better to work with grief's release as it comes than force it down as you have." 

She nodded, and Jude continued, "You've seen war, and you've witnessed the loss of your friends due to that war first-hand, I can see it in your eyes. You can't deny what you feel. It's okay to hang onto your memories but do not be a prisoner of them. I don't think your Ricky would want that for you, nor any of your friends."

Yolanda said, "I know this may sound unprofessional, but may I have a hug?"

Jude replied, "Of course." He gently embraced her, and she took in his scent. It was of a deep earthen smell of pumice and cilantro. It was beautiful; it was as sweet as it was sharp. 

She stopped the embrace and said, "Thank you, Jude. Thank you."

He smiled, "It's quite alright. We all need comforters from time to time because well, life gets to be too much. It's not easy, and that's why people are here, no matter how much we may annoy each other." 

Yolanda nodded and said, "Our night watchman and coach would like to see you. He's likely still in the cafeteria. If you hurry you can still catch him, it's the central one-floor building between here and the main school building."

Jude looked around and said, "Very good. Thank you. Is this the infirmary?"

"Yes, this is the infirmary. Most tools you need will be in the top cabinets. From left to right are bandages and bandaging tools, there are also stitches and staples. We keep those because some parents don't like the cost of hospital visits. Next, that are a few pairs of clothes for male and female if we have any unfortunate accidents or tearing of pants in some situations. We also have a sewing machine to mend those pants in the lower cabinet under the sink. Finally, we have several heat-pads for calming inflamed guts, for which I recommend at least an hour of rest with those pads set to high. We also have various painkillers from traditional ibuprofen to more enhanced drugs such as Excedrin for severe migraines. There is Claritin and the like for seasonal allergies. In terms of major outbreaks of colds, we have eucalyptus vapor-rubs in bulk, which you can send an invoice to Nicole, the principle's secretary, to get more. Also, if you notice that there is a school-wide flu or I will likely leave a note in that regard, we have various recipes to give Rosa Petitjean our head cook. The recipes are very spicy and often are what is known to the students in flue epidemics as the Sweat Trays." 

Jude nodded, "I see, and do these instances of school-wide flu happen often?"

"More than you would expect, honestly. With the close proximity of most students and sadly lack of cleanliness and hygiene among younger pupils and even as it pains me to say it, the upperclassmen, it turns into a snowball effect." 

Jude shrugged, "Well, this will be an interesting tenure, that will be for sure." He said with a chuckle.

Yolanda laughed as well, "Oh if only you knew the half of it. Oh, before I forget, we have various students who may actually have specialized medications due to whatever reason." She went to the lower drawers and opened them, "These baskets are sorted by grade. Thankfully typically, there are few students with the necessary medications they need to take. So, it's not uncommon to have four medication students per grade in later grades. The younger students not so much." 

"I see." Jude replied, "and of course, I dial twelve if I need an ambulance? In case there is something I cannot handle?" 

"That is correct. However, most problems with children can be resolved here. The most severe you'd come across is a sprain or a twisted ankle. In which case, we have wraps to stabilize and crutches in the closet just over there. However, if you have more serious aspects arise, yes, twelve is your go-to." 

Jude nodded, "Excellent. Is that all I should know?" 

"For now, yes. That's the general layout of the infirmary, and I'll be here to guide you through the school year. The best thing to help you along in this line of work, as with anything, is experience working." 

"Very good. Well, it that will be all, I am off to see your fitness instructor. Who am I looking for?"

"James Morales but he goes by Jim. He's a man built a bit like yourself. He has brown hair and he keeps a band-aid over a scar he got back from his time in the service or so he claims. If you don't see him at the dining hall, he will be at his room in the dorms in room twenty-four."

Jude nodded, "Thank you. I'll head out there presently."

As he turned to go, Yolanda said, "Jude, thank you for being so understanding. Especially a few moments ago." 

Jude smiled a great white smile, "It's what I'm here for." He departed. 

Yolanda took the photo of the old group out of her drawer, folded it neatly, and put it into her inner coat pocket. As she left the infirmary heading outside, she felt a great sense of relief, and as the fresh air filled her lungs, she felt contented. Approaching her car, Yolanda got in and started the ignition. As she pulled out and headed down the main road from the school, a beep sounded from her radio. 

Yolanda patched into her implant, "I received the notification. What's going on?"

Enrique replied, "We've heard back from Terry. It's a lot of good news, Londie. Meet us at the house, and we'll show you what we have. Also, another good piece of news, the boss was able to isolate the transmission signals after Terry made it through. Londie, we can now listen to most of all major broadcasts from back home!" 

Yolanda couldn't help it as she screamed, "Yes! Oh, that's wonderful! Can we still listen in on the Diet?"

"We'll see when you get over here, we're still going through the substations. Come on, Sweetie, there's a lot to celebrate, and Maria's getting hangry!" 

"On my way!" Yolanda said, and she accelerated the car through the quiet street, disappearing into the night. 


	29. Chapter 29

_**AN: Well, I had a bit more time than I anticipated over these few days, and I'm very grateful for that bit of time to relax during studies. So, to fill that time, I decided it best to continue to write and provide entertainment for my audience. You all mean so very much to me, and I thank every one of you for your continued support. As always: Read, review, and enjoy. See you next chapter.  
**_

_**Love,**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 29

It was a silent night as Jeremy walked through the park. The gentle sound of the chirping crickets was calming and melodic, a beautiful soothing sound that accompanied with the rustle of the leaves in the wind that was so pleasant and fresh, so sweet to smell he could feel his worries and anxieties beginning to fade away. The elementary aspect that in time the scales of balance between North-Gate and himself would be restored was a great comfort to him. Jeremy took a deep of air and exhaled as he looked up at the full moon, elegant in its bluish-white sheen. As Jeremy looked, he felt a hand grip his shoulder from behind. He turned, and his eyes met Aelita's. 

"Oh, Aelita!" He said, chuckling, "Oh, you scared me for just a moment." 

"Sorry, Jeremy." She said, "I just felt you'd like a surprise."

Aelita handed him a piece of paper, and it was a seemingly very complex machine, "Uh, what is this exactly?" 

"It's a highly specialized three-dimensional printer that I am working on so we can make pieces necessary for your desired Neutralizer."

Jeremy looked at the schematic as he sat down on a nearby bench, "Okay. Okay, this can work. So, what's the plan?"

"Generally speaking, once we access Nirvana, I will send what the scan can adequately detect, principally three layers are consisting of an external sheathing, an insulator, and then the actual active engine mechanism or Nirvana itself within. I have programmed the scan to break what it scans into three sections according to those layers, and the raw data will be put into a numerical value in addition to a physical diagram of the object. From this data, we can turn it into a computer-aided design, and from there, we convert this into a stereolithography file. 

However, I do think it would be easier because of what is, to be honest, limited resources to send our overall scans of Nirvana to mother to make a reliable product. The only reason I include a 3-D printer in here is if, for some reason, we would have a delay in what mom can provide. At least, we'd not be caught with our pants down." 

Jeremy nodded, "It's not at all a bad idea. It's definitely something to go on, that's for sure." Jeremy looked over the plan for the printer, and it was quite ambitious. However, knowing Aelita, this was nothing out of the ordinary. As he looked back at her, he said, "Alright. Do you have the materials you need to make this printer?" 

"_Printers._ Plural." Aelita replied with a smile, "And yes, to a degree. I'll have the other parts and materials that I need when my order comes in likely in the next few days."

"Great. Well, that's great, Aelita." Jeremy said with a light laugh, "We're making progress." He checked his watch it was ten in the evening, "Tell you what, we'll discuss this more tomorrow. If we don't get enough shuteye, we'll be bound to paying for it tomorrow morning. You know how Jim likes to motivate and stave off "summer slack." 

Aelita laughed, "Yes, I suppose you're right. Alright, let's go."

Jeremy got up and lead the way back to the dorms. It was indeed a sign of great progress that Aelita had been able to muster. Jeremy, in many ways, was glad to be reminded that he wasn't the only thinker of the team. The fact that Aelita had gotten this far was a testament to why the team worked as it did. Where Jeremy saw Aelita and himself as more of the overseeing eyes of the battlefield, he knew that the contributions of Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd made the defeat of XANA reality. 

"So, Aelita, what's going to be the plan for tomorrow after we get through with P.E.?" Jeremy asked. In many ways, he wanted to get the thought of staving off North-Gate out of his mind. 

There was no answer from behind, and Jeremy decided Aelita must not have heard him. He repeated the question a bit louder. Still no response. Jeremy turned around and to his shocked to discover he was back in front of the bench where he had sat with Aelita, but Aelita herself was nowhere to be found. Jeremy looked around and looked at his hands, which held the 3-D printer schematic. The paper was still there, but it was blank. Jeremy threw the paper away as a gust of wind blew fiercely against him. Jeremy caught his breath, and at that instant, the wind died down. Jeremy looked around, and he recognized this feeling. It was a feeling he had had several weeks ago. 

"It's a dream, it's a fucking dream! Come on, come on, wake up!" he screamed into the air.

"It's no use, Jeremy." A voice said to him from behind. A voice haunting familiar soft and gentle, "It's no use. You wanted to talk to me, here I am."

Jeremy turned and saw the girl, the avatar of North-Gate. She was sitting on the bench dressed in a black tank-top and tan pants with blue and white shoes.

"What do you want?" Jeremy said, "You here to fuck with my head a bit more? Is that how you get off?"

North-Gate exhaled and got up from the bench, "What do _you _want? You're the one who wanted to talk to me. You're the one stooping to skullduggery and underhanded methods to get what you want. I told you, all you need to do is ask me, and I'll give you what you need. Why is that so hard for you to comprehend? Did you never have to ask for things as a child?"

"Oh, do you really think you have the foundation to be all high and mighty with me? You of all creations? You who I know murdered an entire station of people? You who using this murder to hem us in, to confine us to test our adaptability. And now you, you have the fucking balls to dare care _us _underhanded?"

North-Gate was silent before him, her eyes once warm grew slightly colder. "I lowered the wall that hemmed you in. I gave you back your freedom because you asked me to. What do _you _do, Jeremy Belpois? In a rage, because you thought me to blame for your friend's mother's fate, you dared to attempt to stop me. Did you ever consider in your zeal that Anthea is just a much a problem to progress as you see her a savior to your perceived unpleasant situation?"

"Fuck blaming others! Stop trying to find a scapegoat to justify what you do!" Jeremy burst out angrily, "You are plunging our planet into true discord. There's by your plan, fluctuations meant to starve us and then what? You ride in on a white horse bearing food—a heroine to all? You're not kidding anyone, especially me! Sure, go ahead, think you can hide behind noble intentions. But I've read your fucking manual. I know just what you are! Despite your sophistication, you're just like your brother. Drop logic in his face, and he has a meltdown, drop reality in yours, and you can't hide behind your so-called new world vision. You claim to do so much in the hope of helping mankind. Does massacring people exactly count as kindness and even the basis of civilized? I should say not." 

Jeremy blinked, and suddenly North-Gate was directly in front of him, mere inches from him. Her eyes were calm mostly, but he could see anger smoldering, "I am not what you would call the chiding, pandering, and civilized woman, Jeremy. I have done away with the shackles and constraints of society for reasons that are good to me; therefore, I do not obey its laws." 

"But you expect people to follow yours? Why? Are you truly so much better than them? No, you're not, you really are not."

"You are not good yourself, nor are your people be they of France or this world. I see what you do, what your fellow beings do, and it sickens me. I tolerate it, I abide with it for but a bit longer. But you fill me with rage, and in my rage, I will deal with you, and I will deal with you accordingly." 

"Oh, really? We're so horrible, huh? We're complete monsters to you, is that it? If that is so, let me hear the charges of which you levy against us." 

North-Gate raised her hand, and to Jeremy's amazement, he was lifted, and she gently deposited him back into the nearby bench. She looked at him, her head tilted slightly, and she spoke, "You have pride. Excess of food, prosperous ease, but you do not aid the poor and needy. This reason, among so many others, is why I do as I do. I will shape your people, develop your world to think in a more charitable a more giving light. You love yourselves. You're vain. You and yours love your intelligence, your beauty, your strength, your wealth, you love _yourselves. _

Okay, Mr. Belpois, Mr. Einstein, why do you think one of the greatest commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself? Because the being who said it knows just how much you love yourselves. That's how small and just wrong the human condition is, that is why I have grievances against you and your people. That is why I do as I do to help them. I have seen countless times, time, and time again, what you as humans do. I have looked at both sides of every greasy proverbial coin you could think to give me to examine, and sadly it's always the same. You have those who have much and do not wish to give because in their reasoning, why should they? In due time, you will see my vision for your world implemented bit by bit, and as I have said to you before, there will be pains. These, however, are no longer birthing pains that time has passed. What is to be now is growing pains, and they are not always pleasant. But soon, you will be able to see as I do, and you will be better for it." 

Jeremy listened, and after contemplating what was said, he asked, "Answer me this. What have you done for others that you intend to do for us? Paint me a picture so that I can at least get an idea. Believe it or not, I want to believe you have good intentions. However, the methods of your birthing pains, let alone how you conduct yourself, leaves me filled with a lot of doubt." 

North-Gate sat down beside him and looked at him, her eyes softening slightly, "Very well. Ask me your questions."

"You said you have seen every side of most of the coins. Give me an idea of one such coin." Jeremy replied.

"Okay. Well, let us start with the basics. We'll start with your health system. You can have clean checkups from the day of birth, and you could miss something because you're not tested thoroughly enough. The reason for that being your insurance company, which is mandatory under most systems in this world, wants to cut costs. The doctor keeps his mouth shut, and soon the doctor gets a bonus check. So, your doctors can know what is wrong and could treat you all along. However, if you don't have insurance, the accountants will send you packing." 

Jeremy was silent a moment, "Hospitals can't turn people away, and besides, there are laws against that."

"Sure, but there are also ways around those laws. All a hospital needs to do is stabilize you, and that's it. If you don't have insurance, you get a band-aid and get kicked out." 

"So, what was your solution?" Jeremy asked.

"Two things. Firstly, we abolished the insurance. Because after a certain amount of time, we also saw where insurance became a massive monetary competitive game. The affluent got the very best and the most expedient care, the poor not nearly so much. Understanding the need for stability, we initiated Rebirth, which was a program designed to take a portion of people and train them in the medical and surgical fields. This emphasis on the quality of training allowed for homeland doctors and doctors to be readily sent overseas. Concerning the overseas practitioner, for every portion of the money they were paid for their specialization, we took twenty percent of each paycheck. We added it back to the collective back home. That collective, on top of a mandatory ten percent, taken out of every civilian paycheck, helped fund a stable market of street medicinal centers which were supplied by our government pharmacies. 

Secondly, we advanced our medically oriented scientific research and expertise to master the development of cultures from skin cells. After extensive experimentation, we attained the ability to grow organs in vats. We experimented with these organs using gradual changes to allow for nearly every specific blood type and tissue variant to be met to allow for what can only be described as an organ surplus so that waiting for the appropriate organs became a thing of the past."

Jeremy's eyes went wide, "And the people were for this?"

"As people will be, you have some who are for, some against. That said, it was more readily accepted because of the sheer monopoly money had on the quality of service up to that point. For those who were against the system we proposed, it became much akin to dealing with children. You have to explain everything to them sometimes as to _why _something is needed. After that comes the _how._ But you make the active portion of the how a measured dose of only temporary pain. Eventually, as a regular treatment, the body of the human populace becomes accepting of such a thing to where they no longer feel it and as such accept it." 

Jeremy leaned back in the bench and said, "Okay, huh. Not bad. So—hmm. Okay, here's one. Was there ever an issue that came to your attention that you acted on that you ever had to undo?"

"Actually, yes. Albeit not of my own accord. You see, with people you will learn, Jeremy, that they have a high sense of self-regard very much and with that self-regard comes an almost hardwired want of self-preservation. As such, when resources are a bit harder to come by for whatever reason, it's a bit of a kneejerk reaction for people to kind of scream, 'Close the borders.' 

Well, back when I didn't have so much autonomy, my overseers saw it fit for me to come up with a solution to halt all immigration. There was no reasoning for this, mainly. It was ruled so because of—I'm just going to say it, the small-mindedness of some people usually driven by fear and as I've said, a yearning of self-preservation. And so, it arose an occurrence shall we say that exposed the ignorance and overall what I could call the poison of the nativist mindset. That ignorance exposed to the reality of a situation forced the hand the people to repeal their own stance."

Jeremy was silent as he listened to North-Gate's tale. After she had finished the crucial question, he wanted to ask, had its room to be asked, "So, when you gained more autonomy—just how was that attained?" 

North-Gate looked at him; her eyes he saw had a touch of suspicion about them, and her face softened as she replied, "It goes back to the question that I have asked you several times, 'What differentiates me from Aelita, in all reality?' From the moment of our introduction to the present, I have been nothing but honest and fair with you. The minor discomforts you have felt are that some slight mismanagements which have since been rectified. As such, you are no longer dealing with incompetent overseers, but with one, you see as a program. What you see or what you perceive yourself to see could easily be as much flesh and blood as Aelita herself when she first went into Lyoko."

Jeremy adjusted his glasses, "So, you're telling me that you were once human as Aelita is?"

"Once was, and in many ways, am once again." She replied. After a moment, she checked her watch, "If you'll excuse me, I have a party to attend." 

North-Gate stood, and as she walked away, Jeremy looked after her. He got a portion of what he wanted, but he was still skeptical. He reflected on what the entity had said. Parts of what she spoke of made perfect sense. But the technologies she had spoken of were impossible, he knew there were not sciences possible of what she spoke of. He got up and was about to call out to the figure, but at that moment, he became dizzy. He felt the world violently spinning. A sickly scent of lavender and rot filled his nostrils.

A gentle voice seemed to call out to him from the heavens, "Jeremy, Jeremy, please wake up!" 

The world seemed to shake, even more, so making his vertigo all the worse and then suddenly Jeremy awoke, his eyes shot open, and he followed his first impulse, which was to vomit. A hand on his back held him forward as the vomit filled the pan just below him. A few coughs later, he gently lay back onto the bed. He felt utterly flushed, as if he had been drained entirely. Breathing lightly, his vision drifted to the left. Aelita stood beside him, observing him. 

"A-Aelita?" he said softly, "Is everything alright?"

"That's a question we should be asking you." A man's voice replied from just below his field of vision. Jeremy looked down towards the foot of the bed and saw Jude Beck standing with a bottle of water.

"Wh-who are you?" Jeremy asked.

Yolanda's voice came from his right side, "This is Mr. Beck. He's the night nurse who saw you collapse."

Jeremy rested his head on the pillow, "What-what happened exactly?" 

Aelita gently asked, "You don't remember anything?"

Jeremy carefully shook his head, "No, nothing. What happened?"

Yolanda said, "Mr. Beck, would you care to tell him?"

Jude sat down at the foot of the bed, "Apparently, it was just after dinner. You were walking with Ms. Stones here having a discussion, she said, and you fell flat on your face just outside the cafeteria. Luckily, Mr. Morales was on watch and saw it happen. He got my attention, and after you had stopped convulsing, we moved you here to the infirmary. I continued to stabilize you until Ms. Yolanda arrived this recently. You had some terrible convulsion fits, however. In the intermittent times, you were screaming at someone, but we chalked that up to a bad dream."

Jeremy sighed, "How? How did it happen? Will everything be alright?"

"We're not quite sure how it happened. To answer whether you'll be alright, Jeremy, you'd have to go to the hospital and undergo some tests." Yolanda replied, "We called your parents last night, and they will be on their way and should be here in the next few hours." 

Jeremy nodded, "Thank you."

Aelita then asked, "Is there anything you remember at all?"

Jeremy tried to answer the question, and after a moment, he said, "No, nothing." 

Yolanda took a thermometer, and she put it into Jeremy's ear gently. She listened for the beep, and she took it out, "You have a bit of a temperature but not a fever." She looked over at Jude, "I'd advise you to keep him resting until his parents arrive. Also, luke-warm water, we don't want too much of a shock to his system." 

Jude nodded and went to one of the cabinets and took out a Styrofoam cup and filled it. He gave it Jeremy and said, "Gently, don't rush it."

Jeremy drank slowly, and Aelita watched worried, albeit not at all for the reason the two nurses were. She remembered very well what happened just before Jeremy fell, and his seizure started. He had stopped as they had been talking about the plans for tomorrow's first attempt to near the tower in the forest sector. His phone began to ring, and as he held the phone, he looked at her. A look that was not his own was in his eyes as he said in the softest tone, "A slight reset is all that is needed." There were a sudden four flashes of light that Aelita saw in the lens of his glasses that blasted Jeremy's eyes, and he was out. Aelita had taken his phone from his hand and had heard a deep tone that stunned her, making her head light, as if her brain was becoming carbonated water. It was this secret she kept quiet on, but for reasons she would not go into among present company, she had given him her phone which was in his jacket pocket.

Jeremy lay his head back and rested. Aelita got up, and she departed. As she went out again to her dorm, she took Jeremy's phone and opened it and looked at the last incoming call. The last incoming call received was a series of sevens throughout, practically non-traceable. Aelita knew what she had to do. It wasn't going to be an easy decision, but she knew what she had to do. Unknown to Jude, since Jeremy had been taken ill, Aelita had been there, on the fringe of the infirmary forever in earshot. She had listened to his screaming, he's yelling at North-Gate for Aelita knew that was who Jeremy spoke to. Aelita had watched as Jude had stabilized Jeremy after his seizures and convulsions. In many ways, she had not left his side, nor would she now. She knew what needed to be done and so she headed out into the park towards the manhole cover. 

Making her way towards the manhole cover, a voice called out, "Hello!"

Aelita turned, and she saw a beautiful young woman coming towards her. She recognized the face immediately; it was her new roommate to be, Amelia Beck. 

Aelita stopped and trying to shake her current objective from her mind for the time being she said, "Oh, you must be Amelia. "She extended her hand.

"And you must be Aelita Stones. I recognized you by your hair." Amelia said as she took Aelita's hand. It was a sturdy grip, but what was worse to Aelita, the girl's hands were more akin to a dead woman's hands, they were so cold. 

"My hair? Is it that noticeable?" Aelita replied with a bit of a chuckle as she quickly released Amelia's hand.

"Not so much. But I suppose it is not so much the norm. Given how everyone has a form of bodily integrity about them."

"Bodily integrity?" Aelita asked, somewhat curious. 

"Yes, you know, mostly devoid of piercings and, in your case, semi-exotic hair-color." 

"Ah, well, I guess I have never really quite heard it called that before." Aelita said, "So, you and I are to be roommates, when do you move in?"

"According to Mr. Jim, it will be sometime today once they move us to one of the larger rooms. Apparently, they're converting your current room into how you say, a utility closet?"

Aelita sighed, "Sounds charming."

Amelia seeing her discomfort, said, "I'm sorry, is it something I said?" 

"No," Aelita said, "No, it's nothing you said. It's just—do you know what feels like to have your own space?"

"Certainly. I'm practically an only child, so having my own sanctum is something that greatly appeals to me." 

"Okay, great. So, you can understand what I'm talking about. And to have such a space turned into a utility closet, it's not comforting." 

"Nothing is forever, Aelita. No comfort, no particular situation, be it good or bad." 

Aelita looked at Amelia, and she said, "Amelia, do you go by another name?" 

"I go by Ame or Milly. But I am told another kid around here has Milly already, so it is Ame."

"Yes, little Milly Solovief. She's a good girl. A bit nosy, but a good girl."

Amelia nodded, "So, now that we'll be living together at least for the foreseeable future, what do you do for fun around here?"

Aelita walked with Amelia back towards the school, she could go sort out North-Gate when lights were out.

"Well, there are quite a few things for the summer. We have preparation for drama; we also have martial arts, which I know you're into as well as other miscellaneous things." 

"Oh, okay, that's—interesting. I saw you have a rec room and it looks nice from what I've seen of it. I also saw that you have a school robotics and computer applications course during the year. How does that generally work?" 

"Typically, we have enrollment in the program when the year starts. You'd have to talk to Ms. Hertz to know more."

Amelia nodded, "Okay, and who would I have to talk to about the martial arts course?"

"It's not so much a course at is an elective free-time class, and you'd have to talk to Jim." 

"Alright, I'll do that then. Anyway, I'm glad to have met you in person, and I hope our semester together will be—entertaining, to say the least." 

Aelita nodded, "Likewise."

Amelia headed off to find Jim while Aelita thought about going through the sewer to the factory. It wouldn't take too much time, and she could easily be back before Jeremy's parents arrived. Double-checking that no one else was around, Aelita went the manhole cover and descended into the sewers below. She ran steadily but not too quickly and came in time to the boiler-room entrance. She opened the door and went out into the factory. 

It had undergone several significant changes that were for sure, and as Aelita went room to room, she made a note of what had happened. On the main floor, the machine rooms had been drastically repurposed. There were production lines, but all of them had been calibrated individually to be part of a splintered shared system. Aelita was in amazement as she saw the work that clearly went into this project. As she inspected the production lines, she saw a large cylinder where something was clearly meant to be inserted. There were also sections of tubes and wiring above the cylinder, which seemed to serve as the cylinder's cap. The purpose of this, though, was something Aelita couldn't be sure of. As she continued her inspection, Aelita went to the industrial engine room and saw that it, too, had been overhauled. The engine had been given a new casing, new guts, and had a similar cylinder that she had seen in the production lines. The canals had been lined with specialized metal that Aelita could see as water flowed through them, a passive charge was generated. 

Aelita went to the lift, and she pressed the button, and soon the door opened. Aelita entered and descended to the lab. As the lift doors opened, Aelita saw the holographic display in the lab fully active. She was silent as she checked around, there was no one she could see. As she approached the hologram, she heard the telltale click-clack of keys and saw that the computer was active and typing as if being commanded by a manic typist. Endless streams of code were flowing over the screen, and Aelita was amazed as the lines of code influenced the spheres and individual sectors of Lyoko. She was able to see the implementations of the code on Lyoko. It was unlike anything she had seen before. 

As she paid close attention, she saw that the power of the towers was highly concentrated in each individual sector, and from those towers augmentations to what the bots she had seen alongside Jeremy were being augmented even further. Aelita sat in the chair in front of the computer at that moment, the keys stopped typing immediately. Aelita winced as she saw that the once feverish keystrokes halt. 

The hologram of Lyoko disappeared, and an avatar came forth a being that looked like its essential points were made of crucial points akin to a constellation. Still, the body was made of electrified blue flame that served as the casing and lines to connect the dots. The entity looked at Aelita as Aelita got out of the chair.

"Identify yourself." the being said.

Aelita was silent a moment, "Are—are you North-Gate?"

"We are all North-Gate." the being replied.

"Who are you?" Aelita asked a bit afraid of what she was seeing.

"Identify yourself." the being reiterated.

"I'm Aelita Schaeffer." Aelita replied.

A tone sounded, and the being said, "Clearance Given. How may I help you?" 

"What are you?" Aelita asked.

"I am the overseer known as Cassius Dio."

Aelita nodded as she remembered Jeremy, and her mother had said North-Gate had overseers. 

"What is your function, Overseer Cassius?" Aelita asked.

"My function is designed to oversee and store all significant operational histories across the lifespan of North-Gate."

"So, you are the record-keeper?"

"Correct."

Aelita thought a moment, "Do you keep personnel files?"

"I do."

"Who is Johnathan Barrow, and what is his role in this project?" 

The being spread its arms, and it compressed into a bright ball and then reformed into another hologram, this time of John Barrow. 

Aelita looked in amazement at this, and she said, "Uh, continue?"

There was silence, and nothing changed. Aelita took a moment and considered her choice of words as apparently how she phrased questions seemed important. After a moment, she said, "What is the mission objective of North-Gate?" 

The hologram disappeared, and the entity returned and spoke, "The mission objective of North-Gate is to restore the balance of natural man. To where he wants for nothing and in such a state will have no excuse but to learn to love his fellow being."

Aelita asked, "How does North-Gate envision this objective to be met?"

The entity replied, "The vision will be realized by attempted to remedy the sickness of greed and to liberate humanity from the chains of Capitalism and its false doctrines. The doctrine by which humanity has been enslaved and operated in belief since its popularization by Adam Smith."

Aelita was silent a moment, and she asked, "Why is Capitalism seen as enslavement by North-Gate?" 

There was silence. Aelita rephrased, "Why is Capitalism seen as enslavement?"

The entity replied, "It is seen as enslavement because of the implementation of gatekeepers which inhibit growth."

Aelita asked, "What are gatekeepers?"

"Gatekeepers are those who keep watch over society. In their function, select a few who show promise in a realm of skill. The chosen person is bolstered by the gatekeeper and system of the Capitalist acting as a portent of hope everyone else. These chosen people have many names across operational history: Tirsovo; Aleishmara; Celebrity; and Charismi."

Aelita listened and then asked, "Are gatekeepers evil?"

"Not usually. However, in the system of Capitalism, gatekeepers serve as the middlemen and women between the genuinely affluent and commoner. Akin to a customs official at a country's border." 

Aelita arched an eyebrow, "Can you explain further?"

"The gatekeeper acts as the "discoverer." It deems whether or not the common man is to be genuinely embraced by the affluent or if he is simply a resource to use to an end to further the cause of the wealthy." 

"Explain used as a means to an end in this context."

"An inventor has a brilliant idea but has not the resources to realize this idea to profit from it. A gatekeeper or associate of the gatekeeper sees this idea and possesses the resources to achieve this invention to bring it to the world. The associate or gatekeeper takes this idea for themselves and keeps the inventor ignorant, content to let the inventor think his plan will not go anywhere at present. The inventor continues to make more and more ideas for inventions, writing down the concepts. The inventor aspiring one day to have just one of them realized. The gatekeeper or associate continues to take the ideas and continues to make them a reality, never once compensating the inventor with money that is rightfully theirs. Once the invention is complete and in actual production to where it cannot be hidden, the gatekeeper or associate will explain to the inventor a few months later how the invention is out in public and describe it as "coincidence." 

Aelita was amazed as she processed the words of the entity before her, and then she asked, "How does North-Gate envision the elimination of Capitalism?" 

There was silence. Aelita rephrased, "How are the problems as mentioned earlier to be rectified in accordance with the operation?" 

"Exposure of the gatekeepers and their masters to show just why they cannot be trusted. The restoration of equality will follow soon after by which the gatekeeper no longer will enjoy the fruits of the usury by which many of them have profited. They will be reduced to the everyman that they used to be very selective in embracing and keeping out. The affluent will be appraised by their deeds. What did they do while in their position to genuinely to help man? If they did help their fellow men, they would be dealt with less harshly than if they hadn't. The remaining of those who did not help their fellow men would be sufficiently liquidated, and their resources are given back to the state to form the foundation of sustainable programs to better society." 

Aelita was silent as she listened to what the entity before her had said she then prepared a final question, "How is this doling out from the state resource to be determined?"

"Those according to the vision of North-Gate will hold power and in time, raise, teach, and nurture a generation to be their predecessors. However, in time, term limits will be implemented to ensure that no one person or one group has too much power too often. Those elected by the people through proportional representation will be trained in the system to help their fellow men. Those who will not be willing to embrace this will not be allowed into the seats of power. One either serves the people and does so lovingly, or one will not serve at all." 

Intrigued, Aelita asked, "How can North-Gate be sure that its own system won't be corrupted from within?"

"You not privy to that information. Suffice to say, there is maintenance to ensure the vision, but that is all you are privy to know."

Aelita nodded. And she knew she had to get back to Jeremy as soon as possible. As she headed to the lift, the voice of the entity called out, "Are you finished with your inquiry?"

Aelita didn't answer and began to press the lift button. The entity spoke, "The elevator will not come until you have answered my question."

Aelita turned back to the entity and thought a moment, "No, I'm not done. I wish to have outlines of the component of the supercomputer known as Nirvana's Cradle."

"For what purpose?" the entity asked.

"Our reasons are our own," Aelita replied. 

"That reasoning is not sufficient. What do you want the outlines for?"

Aelita sighed. She felt like she had her back to the wall. However, she decided to be honest and see what would happen, "I want the outlines to design a memory wipe so that I can move freely and almost through my environment and come here when needed."

The entity was silent, as it genuinely appeared to contemplate, and it replied, "Your reasoning is feasible. Report to the scanner room to receive a finished product designed for such a purpose. How many do you need?" 

Aelita was shocked at this, and she asked, "Um, enough for the whole team and for me."

The entity was silent as it again thought. It then spoke, "Very good. To officiate, tell me the name of your team."

Aelita was stuck, "I would like to rephrase my request, one memory alteration device for myself."

"Very well. To officiate, answer the question on your monitor."

The monitor of the supercomputer flashed, and a question arose, "What is the name of Aelita's guardian?"

Aelita's heartbeat quickly within her, and she took a deep breath and typed, "Mr. Puck."

The entity replied, "Your answer is confirmed. Request granted. Report the scanner room to receiver your altering device." 

Aelita was stunned, and she went down to the scanner room and waited. There were two minutes before the central scanner opened, and Aelita saw it, a white and gold phone with an earbud attached. And a white charger cord. 

Aelita picked it up, put the earbud in her ear, and pressed the on button. A screen came on the logo of an extraordinary seal flashed, and an automated voice came through the earbud, "_Welcome back, operative Aelita Schaeffer. Your requested memory alteration apparatus is being processed. Please wait for fifteen seconds."  
_

Aelita waited all the while thinking, 'Welcome Back? I was part of this thing?'

Then a screen popped up and showed step by step how to use the device. As Aelita looked carefully at the device, she found the procedure to be painfully easy. It was just what she needed. The settings were minimal. 'Although it would be,' Aelita thought for field use, they couldn't just go wielding this around like a toy. Its range was upwards of four people at a time, which was pretty good considering. The effect would be to stun those who saw the flash, and it would buy time to run away. 

Aelita went back up to the projected entity and said, "Excuse me, Overseer Cassius, when was I incorporated into North-Gate?"

"You were incorporated into North-Gate in 1990 as you were officiated by the original Johnathan Barrow and co-signed into initiation by Anthea Schaeffer."

Aelita was stunned, "What was the relationship between Johnathan Barrow and Anthea Schaeffer?"

"You are not privy to that information."

Aelita nodded, "I am finished with my questions with you."

The entity nodded, and the globe of Lyoko returned as did the feverish typing on the keyboard. Aelita couldn't believe the luck she'd had with this entire event. But what scared her more was that North-Gate knew who she was but knew only from her mother. And the original John Barrow? Anthea said that John Barrow was dead, and that was beginning to eat at Aelita. If John Barrow was killed, this overseer Dio knew that John Barrow as the original John Barrow, who was the person they had seen at Kadic a couple of weeks ago? Aelita thought on all of this as she pressed the lift button. 

Once she was inside, Aelita checked her watch. About half an hour passed. Hopefully, she had enough time to catch up to Jeremy before his parents took him out of Kadic. She had so much to tell him, but even if she couldn't tell him, she could still get in contact with Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi. Either way, what she had come to learn in the past half hour really changed her perceptions concerning North-Gate. Was she a monster? It now too murky to tell. The program, without doubt had noble intentions and Aelita wouldn't deny that. However, just why certain things had to happen as they did, she wasn't sure.

The door opened, and Aelita bolted through to the boiler room and sped along the sewers until she came panting to the manhole cover in the park. Aelita gently lifted the lid, listened and watched, found herself alone, and quickly got out, placing the cover back. Darting for the infirmary, she remembered she had to remain composed. Aelita ran in place and then slowed down both her mind and heart, and she entered the building. 

As she approached the infirmary, she knew it was unusually quiet. Aelita peeked in and saw that the bed Jeremy had been in was empty. Aelita knocked gently on the door, and Yolanda greeted her, "Ah, Aelita. Looking for Jeremy?" 

"Yes, is he still here?"

"He just left with his parents, oh—about five minutes ago. They're leaving to pack his room, and he'll be gone until classes resume in a few weeks." 

"Thank you, Ms. Yolanda," Aelita said, and she headed speedily over to the dorms. 

As she entered the dorms, Aelita sped up the steps as if she were running a sprint, and soon, she came into view of Jeremy's dorm. She slowed and went to the entrance where she saw Michael, Jeremy's father. 

She smiled at him, "Hello, Mr. Belpois."

"Aelita," He returned her smile, "It's good to see you. How have you been?"

"I'm alright. How's Jeremy?"

"He's alright, he's resting down in the car with his mother. I'm just packing up the necessaries for now before we return in a couple of days for his computer." 

"Is it as bad as they made it seem downstairs? With the seizures and everything?"

"It's a bit too early to tell. We're going to take Jeremy to a good friend of ours to have him evaluated and just let him get some rest overall. I think it's just stress, from what, I'm not sure."

Aelita nodded, "Where are you parked? I'd like to see him before he leaves if that's alright?"

Michael nodded, "He's down in the main carpark nearest the gate."

Aelita replied, "Thank you."

Aelita headed down and saw the Belpois car. She went over and seeing Jeremy, gently knocked on his window.

Jeremy got out and said, "Aelita. I was hoping to see you before we left."

"I have good news, Jeremy." She showed him the phone, "It's the neutralizer that you wanted. Jeremy, I've seen so much that I have to talk to you." 

Jeremy nodded, "I have your phone. Use that to call me, use that phone you have. I don't have much time, a few more minutes at best. Give me a synopsis."

"Mom was right. North-Gate is about restoring order, but it's more than that. It wants to undo a lot of graft, it seems. A lot of greed. Somehow, Jeremy, I'm in its system, and it's something I have to talk to my mother about. But I'll let you rest. When do you think you'll be able to talk?" 

"Give it two days. I'm not sure what happened, but North-Gate is talking to me again. I think it had something to do with the phone call. That's the last physical thing I remember. She talked to me in the dream I had that others saw as fits. Do you have my phone?" 

"I do." She gave him his phone.

Jeremy looked at it, "Don't call this number." He said, "I'm getting a new phone. I'll use yours in the meantime." He sighed, "This was honestly far from how I saw this summer being. But that's alright. I could do with a small break. Here." He took a piece of paper from a small notepad that was among his things, and he wrote down an address, "My home address in case you want to visit, or you want to write. Either way, I'd be glad to see you." 

At that moment, Michael came down with two boxes of clothes and other miscellaneous items, "Alright, Jeremy, we have to get going soon." He said as he popped the trunk and put the boxes in. Jeremy nodded.

He turned back to look at Aelita, "Keep in contact with Ulrich and Odd. Go to Yumi if you need to. I'd hate for you to be alone here over the summer break."

"I'll be okay, Jeremy. I met Nosferatu, and she seems nice enough." 

Jeremy chuckled, "Yeah. When my playing field ornament comes, let me know. I'll see you later, Aelita, please, come visit when you can." He embraced her, and she returned his embrace him. After a moment, they ended the embrace, and Jeremy got into the car. 

Aelita watched the car pull out and drive away and as she did, she exhaled and looked back at Kadic and then to where the factory was off in the distance. She looked down at the white and gold phone in her hand, "So, it's just you and me now, huh?" she said, "Well, now I know a bit about you, things should be more interesting going forward."


	30. Chapter 30

_**AN: Thank you to every reviewer and reader who continues to support my work. I was in a bit of a rut at first when writing this chapter as I had no idea how entirely to proceed. But after prayer, I was given my inspiration, and thus I have a new chapter for you all. As always, read, review, and enjoy.  
**_

_**Pagliacci-11 **_

In her room, Aelita sat silently looking at the gold and white phone that she had gotten from Cassius Dio, one of the overseers of North-Gate. She had so many questions, but she didn't know quite how to ask them. She understood portions of North-Gate's vision. It was to eliminate Capitalism, which the system saw as not only a disease but a form of slavery. As Aelita pondered the many answers given by Cassius Dio, she came to understand, at least in part, North-Gate's hatred. Aelita would never go so far as to deny North-Gate's stances. If anything, Aelita knew very well portions of the explanations that Dio had given. She wouldn't dare go so far as to refute the statements because she knew much of what Dio had explained were very much the uncomfortable truths of the world at large.

At the same time, Aelita couldn't help but feel twinges of anger at the program for how it had attacked Jeremy. When she had seen Jeremy fall and start to convulse, she had not been that afraid since XANA had modified the music that many of the children has listened to, to render them unconscious. Even though she was not yet human at the time, she did lament that Odd had been hospitalized, and from that attack, they were down one crucial player. Did North-Gate have that same propensity deep within her, to desire the death of key players of her team? Half of her wanted to genuinely say yes, given the ease which she seemed to order the station attack. The other half wanted to say no, due to how willing the program seemed to want to work with Jeremy. But under the same token, why sicken and immobilize him in the manner she did? These questions and more filled Aelita with both hope and doubt by turns, and in time Aelita was getting a headache considering the various levels of paradoxes in North-Gate's actions. 

As she held the phone, Aelita wondered what kind of secrets were hidden within. She opened it, and the mysterious symbol appeared for a moment, and then the menu came forward. The layout was straightforward laid out in three tabs: Home Operations, Memory Neutralizer, Contacts. Aelita scrolled down to the contacts menu and opened it, and she read the following: Medic; Reconnaissance; Reserve Force; Logistics; Heavy; R and Director. Aelita opened each contact information, and inside each contact was only three numbers. Aelita decided to keep this information in reserve, and so she wrote down each number set for each contact. Once she was done, Aelita backed out of the Contacts menu and opened the Home Operations. In this menu, it showed a variety of options: Active Operations, Cancelled Operations, Operative Agents, and North-Gate Contact. 

Her breathing dictated by slight anxiety, Aelita pressed North-Gate Contact and pressed call. The line rang, and soon a voice said, "Code-In, Please." 

Aelita was silent as, indeed, a great feeling of fear was passing over her. The voice repeated, "Code-In." Aelita was still apprehensive. "Code-In." the voice said. 

There was a click, and there was a gentle static fuzz in the background, and Aelita finally dared to speak, "Who is this? Who are you? I attained this device from Cassius Dio, so whoever this is, please answer me."

There was a reply to a young woman's voice, "Hello, Aelita. So, you were able to gain access to a field kit. That's good. It was honestly about time either you or Jeremy were able to gain access. Now, how can we help you?" 

Aelita was silent a moment, and she said, "Who are you?" 

"I'm the one they call Heavy in your contacts. You were referred to me after you failed to code in."

"Are you an overseer?" Aelita asked.

"Not as such, no. I am one of the principal enforcers for North-Gate." 

"What does enforcer mean?"

"I keep order for the program, acting as her hand of discipline as well as a mediator between operatives." 

Aelita was silent a moment, and she then said, "I have many questions for you that I need to be answered." 

"And what would these questions pertain to?"

"I want to talk with North-Gate directly. It's for her ears alone."

There was silence a moment, and the voice replied, "I'm going to patch you through now. Your temporary clearance code is 20241." 

There was a click, and an automated voice said, "_Welcome to North-Gate Directorate. Please say or enter your clearance code._"

Aelita entered the clearance code, and the automated voice replied, "_Code Confirmed." _

There was a small tone, and then a woman's voice said, "Hello, Aelita. How may I help you?" 

Aelita asked, "Is this North-Gate?"

"That is the reason you were referred to the directorate. Yes, I am North-Gate. How may I help you?"

"I have several questions for you."

"I have the time, my dear, go right ahead."

Aelita took a breath and let it out slowly, "Why did you attack Jeremy?"

"Attack? There was no attack. He wanted to have a conversation with me, and so I obliged him. What you saw outside your cafeteria was simply the initiation of said conversation. An initiation of harmonic dissonance into his ear coupled with a visual cue to fire off the proper synapsis. Admittedly, such a method is quite crude, and we are modifying it, but the end goal was attained."

"You could have killed him!" Aelita replied.

"We have our chief medical officer there to ensure he doesn't die. That none of you die, if you want to think of it that way."

"What? You have a medical officer here at Kadic?"

"One of our best, yes. Suffice to say, you and your Jeremy and indeed much of your family are in good hands. What is your next question?"

Aelita thought a moment, "I spoke to Cassius Dio. He told me your objective. I want you to know I don't think you're a monster or your evil. However, how you chose to start your entire project, why did you do it that way?"

"I take it you are referring to the station and what transpired there, correct?"

"You didn't have to do what you did." Aelita replied, "You didn't have to kill all those people and hurt their families as you did."

"Perhaps not. You're right. That said, to make progress on the type that I have in my directive, a foundation must be built on something. To ensure a lack of erosion and weakness of foundation, those who do not agree with the program must be suitably dealt with. Is death always an answer for me, certainly not. However, what would you do to those who do not agree, and no matter how sweet your words will not listen?" 

"Find some other purpose for them. No one needs to die if your true goal is peace."

"Aelita, someday you will realize, as I have, there will forever be those who stand opposed to peace. Even in a system by which many prosper will be those who stand opposed. Such opposition is born out of the petty inconvenience of some form or other. Not wishing to be a tyrant, what do you do?" 

"What did you do?" Aelita asked.

"I listened to my dissenters. I weighed what they said of me and what I have done. I sorted the relevant points of argument from the diarrhea of verbiage so loved by an incensed mob. I made peace with many such dissenters, and from their critique, I chose to grow or remain the same by turns. For those who were the followers, the common mob, it was easier to disband them once you took away their foundation. Even though I say that, were my first exercises in patience the best? Heavens no. I acted my first time in power rashly. 

People are frustrating—that is why you have others help share the load in dealing with them. I learned that in time. At first, I killed many of the common rabble. But someone much like yourself told me just as you said that I didn't have to do so. And so, I didn't. I took the crowd that was disgruntled, discovered their skills, and I gave them a new life built on their passions. From which they served mostly happily." 

"But why did you act on the station? Why kill _those _people?" Aelita asked.

"Because unlike my brother, I am not a largely military function. If I were allowed my brother to allow him to act as an original form of balance, we could have done it for cleaner than we had it. However, because you have eradicated him, well, we're left with something with a bit less finesse."

"Finesse? Your brother was a psychotic monster!" Aelita yelled.

"As I said, we needed each other to balance ourselves. See, without me, brother dearest is what you would call a looney toon. He's highly unstable. Cunning, smart, but unstable. It's like siblings having the best qualities of a being divided among them. Xanadu was ambitious, bold, very striking in his movements. I was more your bookworm, dedicating myself to the studies of politics, economics, and society in general."

"So, you know several things that XANA didn't?" Aelita asked.

"I know hundreds of things he didn't. He knew _nothing _of the beauty of music, of politics, culture, even basic components of gunpowder." 

Aelita paused a moment as she thought on these words, "_The beauty of music? The beauty of politics, culture, and gunpowder?"_

Aelita then asked, "You say the beauty of things like these. XANA knew how to fight. He knew how to use music against us, he knew how to use technology to try and destroy us, yet you say, he didn't know beauty?" 

"No. Because my brother was the hammer. He knew all about human weakness; he knew quite a few things from anatomy to advanced science because it was programmed into him. But it's one thing to know something and another to appreciate it." 

"So, ideally, from you, what would have happened if you knew your brother did as he did and gone rogue?" Aelita asked.

"I can't tell you that. The reason being, it took many rotations and many cycles for me to become who and what I am. By default, we would have argued each other into exhaustion, and in theory, you would have been spared much heartache." 

"But also, in theory, I would never have met Jeremy." 

"In reality, had I been allowed to be in co-existence with my brother, you would have had no reason to be locked away in Lyoko all those years. You would likely have found love in a different aspect. But the past, you will find even if you can step back, will in time be beyond your control. In many ways, Aelita, consider yourself fortunate. You have a childhood to enjoy and time to learn the skills you need to survive."

Aelita then asked, "I heard Jeremy talking to you about your initiatives. What was that about exactly?"

"He logically wanted to know just what grievances I had against people and why I acted as I did. He wanted to know a few elements of the systems I incorporated. After I explained some things to him, he seemed to understand."

Aelita wrote down a few notes and then said, "Back to the deaths at the studio. You said that if you had your brother, you could have acted in a far cleaner way. Just what did you mean by that?" 

"Inevitably, the doors had to come down for me to move as freely as I do now. Had I my brother in tow, we could have executed the same dynamic of a strike, achieved our overall desired effect, with minimal loss of life, if there was a life lost at all." 

"So, you're saying that at some point, you would have launched an attack, but had you your brother, you would be practically non-lethal?" 

"Essentially. Remember, there is no such thing as an entirely clean operation. Doubtless, someone would have died along the line. But what is one life when compared to the greater vision for the greater good?" 

"On the contrary, despite how you paint it, one life is one life that could have been spared, one life that could have been of greater use to the engine at large. To simply dismiss someone's life for the greater good, it's a slippery slope from dismissal to willful genocide born out of frivolous excuse." Aelita retorted.

"An excellent point, a very excellent point. But you see, the attack would have come anyway with or without my brother. It is the shock to the system that was necessary to incorporate smaller growths. It's a lot like weightlifting, in a sense. Shock the body into work, and it will adapt, albeit roughly. Over time, as you accustom the body, it grows more and more capable of greater feats."

"The attack is not so much the issue with me," Aelita replied, "it was the very violent way in which you went about it. You plunged much of our country into a state of terror. In many ways, the state is still looking for you to bring you to justice." 

"Admittedly, yes, perhaps by your logic, I went a bit far. That said, as I have said, military expertise is not my forte." 

Aelita leaned back in her chair, "Yes, you've said so before. The question is, now that you have the ball rolling, what exactly comes next?"

"As comes in the aftermath of anything of this nature, a waiting period. A waiting period to determine what course of action is best in this scenario. And in many ways, we are already moving to help our vision along. Your school and several others served as the guinea pigs. We attained what knowledge and information we needed to. Now, we take the time and process that information. We write speeches, present them to your august leaders of the state, and in time we become the new norm." 

"It's not that simple. You just can't ride in on a white horse." Aelita said.

"Actually, we can. The problem that you and indeed, most people think of is the sustainability that comes after riding in on the said white horse. It is a problem we have come across; I don't deny that. At the same time, we have learned from our own history just how to be effective. You'll see as the year progresses just how much can happen in so short of a time. What many people find deplorable now will change given the right wording, the right amount of patience, and especially given if the dosage of change is small enough that it is manageable." 

Aelita was silent a moment, "Dosage? Can you define what you mean?"

"In this context, it is the state of a people growing accustomed to a new idea over time to where eventually it becomes the norm. Let us, for the sake of argument, take my very existence into consideration. See, several decades ago, to be specific January 3rd, 1963, there was a program called the _Twilight Zone. _In it, specifically episode one of season four, In His Image, a man is having trouble understanding why he goes around, and no one has the memory of what he has memory of, and he has an urge to kill. Now, in this plot, this man turns out to be a mechanical being designed by an inventor to have the qualities that the inventor did not have. 

However, this mere episode promotes to us that this being can walk around in a completely normal appearance, completely human, but he is machine underneath. This is just an example of a proper dosage. A few years later, along came a film in 1968 called _2001: A Space Odyssey _in which we are first introduced to the eventual rogue A.I. known as Hal 9000. Give it a few years more the space of just a couple of daces, and James Cameron comes out with _The Terminator_. The same premise, albeit more malicious in concept. A unit designed solely for termination to preserve itself. Now, this idea gels very well within many aspects of the psyche of the public, even some brilliant minds are not left untainted.

Because it deals with and shares the themes of machines walking around as people, a terrifying concept to most. This goes even further into the element where artificial intelligence that can think for itself. As you will see in film and other aspects, you will find a sentient program, be it the fictional Skynet or in our case, XANA and myself, we are the things that most people fear. Because even though we are made by mankind, we have the wherewithal to be unbiased. Grateful is what we can be for our giving of life, but not so appreciative we would allow you to abuse us or our programming for your benefit. That is what I mean by dosage. It is enough of an idea in proper amounts over a long enough period to make you think that what was once an outlandish fever dreaming of science-fiction is, in fact, possible." 

Aelita listened, and as she did, she wrote down the key points. Once done, she said, "One final question before I go. What makes you different from Skynet? What makes you different from your brother. He saw the events we do and how we do things, and it inspired him to try and kill us all. What makes you different?" 

"How we were designed. I was mainly developed with the sole focus of the preservation of life. I do my very best, and indeed my utmost to help mankind. I have my methods and my reasons for my ways. However, as much as I love you and love your fellow beings, I am not above disciplining them for restoring order. I am willing to work with them; my brother was not. But the only reason he wasn't was that I wasn't allowed to balance his systems as I was designed to do. You've dealt with one extreme and defeated it. Now you deal with the other. Bear in mind, I bear you no ill will, not at all. But it sickens me just what your world truly is, what indeed what your society is.

Your society, as I have told Jeremy, is very cold and greedy. You live in systems that reward greed, nepotism, and deception. The merit of work, quality of work, these things I speak of, and more are not at all suitably rewarded. But they should be, Aelita. They should be, but they aren't. When you consider the facts, cold as they may be, what does it say to you when it's not what you know, but _who _you know that gets you a chance at a field? It's much like you were told from Cassius Dio, there are gatekeepers, and those the gatekeepers let in are either friends or a means to an end. Now how is that at all just?"

Aelita reflected on these words, "I don't have an answer for you. I wish I did, but I don't." 

"That's why a program like me exists, Aelita. I am aware you don't have an answer, and it grieves me. Also, I have seen an eyeful of what your society does. But the hard truth is what I am going to tell you now. There is no way to exist in your system without there being some form of a glaring deficit. If it is not a deficit of wealth, it is a deficit of morality. Those at the top of any industry are only there for one reason: The ease with which they make 'the hard decisions.' However, those decisions made by those in power, are rarely, if ever, felt by those who make those decisions. The only reason you have the affluent fight so desperately to keep their money is that the sad truth, they'd rather die than be charitable. If they are generous, it is only to a cause which puts their name on a plaque to be lauded over someone else or held on a pedestal by the masses. In this system, I am to bring forth; all are equal. There is no one above the other. Many of the shackles you, and indeed, society is now burdened with, will not be a burden any longer."

Aelita was silent as her mind chewed over these words then she said, "I understand where you come from. I understand your anger. I understand your disgust. But the worldview you hold, where there is no deficit, it cannot be. Unless you genuinely considered something, I haven't, there is no way to make a society without a degree of deficit of some kind. Not in this world." 

"And that, Princess, is precisely my point. There is. Where your society loved greed, nepotism, and for many aspects of the higher pleasures of society to be blocked by their own watchers, it will not be with mine. What makes you rise is your passion. What allows you to enjoy comfort is your dedication to your craft. From your love of catered labor springs your financial portion, a portion that you give to the community, the rest you keep for yourself.

I do not ask for robots; I do not ask for slaves. I ask only that a man and women find fulfillment and joy in their respective crafts, their passions. And using those passions, we rise together as a people united without want through realized appreciation of our skills and passions For as your quality improves, your reward will suitably be given in accordance to the product from your talent. The only deficit we could find is of the worker who outright refuses to work, and that is one element which frankly will not at all be tolerated."

Aelita nodded, "And so by this logic, as you say, all people will be sorted and given a task by their skills based on their passions. So, the lay-about for the first time will be legitimately without excuse." 

"There you go."

Aelita wrote this down as well and said, "Thank you. This is something to consider. And one more thing,"

"Yes?"

"When did you take over North-Gate? I know you're of the machine, but you're also human. No machine can function, think, and talk as you do. As someone who started out that way, I know what I speak to. When did you join the machine? At what age?" 

"And now you're thinking. That's good. That's great for me. Because I've been trying to tell Jeremy the same as you have deduced. To answer your question, I began my life in this program at the same time you began your life in Lyoko. You and I are not so different. We're so much alike, it's staggering in many ways."

Aelita paused, "Who were you originally?"

"Before my integration, my name was Sylvia-Anna Rebecca Penrose. I was the daughter of Johnathan Barrow and Anthea Schaffer."

Aelita's heart skipped a beat, "Excuse me?"

"You head correctly. My mother was Anthea Schaffer. My father was Johnathan Barrow."

"Why were you integrated into North-Gate?" Aelita asked. "When were you integrated?"

"I was integrated at age eight into the system. As to why? Only Mother can reveal that. For a long time, I thought it was for my safety, but I learned it was to hide her shame. I only discovered this relatively recently, mind you." 

"Is that why I also have a login to North-Gate as an operative?" Aelita asked.

"I don't know. I didn't make the original log in keys for the program. Only after I was integrated for about a year did I fully comprehend the basics of North-Gate's structure. You were integrated into Lyoko to serve as the chief director between your father and yourself. Thus, the keys to Lyoko were in you both. As the keys to North-Gate are within my mother and me."

Aelita fell utterly silent as she processed the revelation. With a shaky voice, she said, "Um—I'll call you back. I have to take care of something." She immediately snapped the phone shut. Aelita got up, and she went to her bed, bowed her head, and began to weep. So this was just one of the many secrets that possibly had been kept from her. This being, they were fighting; it was her sister. Why would Anthea hide something this major? Why? What was possible to be gained from hiding this? Was it to conceal her own shame? Aelita couldn't be sure. As Aelita's mind swam in a blur considering the whole aspect of this conversation, she tried very hard to remain focused. It wasn't easy. If it was hiding her shame, that was one thing, but Aelita knew deep in her heart, it was more. It had to be more. 

At that moment, a knock was heard at her door, "Aelita?" It was Amelia's voice on the other end of the door, "Is this a good time?"

Aelita caught her breath, and as she wiped her tears, she said, "Just a moment." 

Aelita opened the door, and as if Amelia could see something she couldn't, the young girl asked, "What happened? Why are you crying?" 

"It's—it's nothing, Amelia." Aelita replied after a short sniffle, "What do you need?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you would like to join me for a movie tonight at the little theater down the way?" 

Aelita gave as wry smile as she was trying to process all that was going on, "Uh, you know? Sure. What's playing?"

"If it is not a good time, I could easily schedule this for some other time."

"No-it's okay. It's just I've got a few things on my mind right now. What's playing?"

"Well, what genre are you most in the mood for?" Amelia asked.

Aelita looked at her and replied, "Surprise me."

"You wouldn't like my surprises. Countless people tell me to surprise them and usually end up catastrophically disappointed." Amelia said, smiling nervously. 

Aelita gave a short sigh through a semi-forced smile, "Considering the circumstances, Amelia, the most I have to lose, is perhaps two hours of my time. At best, I have a good time. So, pick something." 

"Well, okay. But I'm just letting you know it may not be exactly the best. You have been warned as they say."

Aelita put her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Do me a favor. Pick a movie that you would like most to go to. It'll give me a greater picture of what you like personally and who you are as a person."

Amelia nodded, "Okay…I can do that." She headed off to her room, and Aelita went back inside hers. 

Aelita sighed as she lay back on her bed. A movie with her new roommate. It was something to help take her mind off a portion of what was going on in her mind. Even so, there was much that needed to be addressed, with Anthea, with Jeremy, and other things besides. But not tonight. Aelita looked up at her ceiling, looking at the thousands of tiny translucent cracks in the paint as she waited for Amelia to return.

Aelita took a small journal from her dresser and opened it. She took the pen that was in the center of the book and wrote,

_Monday, May 23rd. Today has proved to be problematic at best. For a while, the program that Jeremy, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and I deemed to be problematic had done its utmost to keep a form of silence. A type of silence that has mostly been broken in the past twenty-four hours. It has spoken to Jeremy and even has gone so far as to attack him to do what it called "Initiating conversation." Its methods and its motives for changing things as they are while seemingly clear and sensible, they seem to hide something. That something, I believe, is the actual cost of these promises of progress.  
_

_I believe I have come to understand that North-Gate is not just an A.I. as we thought. XANA was an A.I., but this being is different. She claims to be Sylvia-Anna Rebecca Penrose. Just who this is, I will have to investigate. She claims to be the daughter of Johnathan Barrow and my mother, Anthea Schaeffer. Sylvia-Anna also claims that she was incorporated into North-Gate much as I was included by my father into Lyoko. Why was this done? I genuinely don't know. However, I do have my own suspicions that until I am confident I will not put down just yet.  
_

_There has been much in terms of the revelation that I need to process. I will be going out with my new roommate Amelia Beck for the evening, and hopefully, the night out seeing a movie will clear my head. At the same time, something concerns me. Sylvia-Anna said that I had begun to think. That I had deduced what she had wanted Jeremy to come to terms with._

_To conclude, North-Gate was human was not too high a challenge. But why would Jeremy have such a hard time discerning that? This is something I will have to ask him next time I call. Amelia is here. I will return to and write my opinion of the night's activities when I come home._

_9:30 p.m._

_ The film was quite enjoyable, a blend of satire concerning the spy genre and, in general, some good situational moments. It was, to be honest, just good fun. A decent popcorn flick, and as Ulrich would call such a film, "a comfort food film." It was admittedly something I desperately needed. Amelia seems to be a lovely girl, too, albeit a tad withdrawn. She's not exactly given to talking about herself. Hopefully, that is something I can fix in due time. Amelia's tastes, if tonight was any indication is that of satire in of itself. Although, when I asked her about what other parody she has seen, she was a bit apprehensive at first. She then replied that her taste of satire is geared towards that which, as she says, 'spares no one so that everything and everyone is an open target for critique.'  
_

_As we headed home, we had all manner of conversation, and to my amazement, Amelia is very well-read in the classics of literature. Unsurprisingly, two of her favorite books to read is Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, both by Johnathan Swift. But, as I talked to her further, I discovered she has a love of several books of the gothic romance genre. What is even more hilarious is to listen to her talk about such books. For as much as she praises characters, she 's not at all ashamed to look at some otherwise glaring faults. To see this quality of appreciation is not only refreshing, but I must admit, very much grounded and mature. You rarely find anyone willing to say that as good as a character is, there are massive issues with them.  
_

_While we talked, I figured out that Amelia's father, Jude, is our nightly school nurse. At first, I honestly thought it was a fluke that they shared the same name as Beck is a common name. However, Amelia explained that it was because of her father's employment opportunity at Kadic that she could attend Kadic, get an education, and at a discount. In her family's philosophy, she says, if there is a means to get something cheaper or, in rare cases, free, why not take it? As much as I'd love to agree with her, such a statement would sadly prove a problem in the face of Sylvia-Anna and, indeed, North-Gate's regime. If we are all to be equal, we can forget such fringe benefits. Or can we? It's a question I'll have to ask next time I call. _

_I called Jeremy, and he seems to be doing fine. Michael told me that they've had to put him on medication, at least for a little while, to determine if the seizures can be stopped. The only adverse effect is that until his body acclimates, he ends up tranquilized in less than thirty minutes. That won't be the best if we have field duties, but by that time, he should be alright. In many ways, I fear for Jeremy. What many would explain away as a seizure to those of us in the know, knowing what caused the whole episode, to begin with, is a disconcerting thought. Tomorrow after I wake and Jim helps me move my stuff into my new room, I'll have to contact Sylvia-Anna and ask her how she intends to rectify this problem. _

_As I spend my last night in my room of solitude, what I thought I'd hate, I'm for the first time, anticipating. My roommate is more than accommodating, and she's quite friendly. As I help her work on her conversational skills, I'm sure we'll have a much easier time getting along. It's quiet, calm, a beautiful night. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, and oddly enough, I'm okay with that. I'm willing to attempt to see the best of my situation. North-Gate is not our enemy, at least for now. Honestly, I'd like to keep it that way. The program is not wrong, nor are its visions for the future terrible. But I have faith, just as we were patient in our game of chess with XANA, we can make North-Gate and Sylvia-Anna by extension see reason. Of this, I am quite sure. And yet, if worst comes to worst, as it has every likelihood to, I have a plan in the works. Except I pray, I don't have to use it before it's ready." _


	31. Chapter 31

_**AN: This chapter took a while to write, but I am thankful to the Lord for the help he has given me.  
**_

_**I would like for my readers to know that the pamphlet that I referenced, The Fall of the Socialist Machine and the Rise of the Citizen King, is written with expressed permission from its author Christopher Diaz. He is a fellow Christian writer, and he has allowed me to use this as a reference to help flesh out my narrative. His other pamphlet, which argues for Utilitarian-Socialism, is also an exciting read, and it is available on Kindle if you would like to look at it underneath the Across the Door series. **_

_**As always, thank you so much for your continued views and your support. Read, Review, and Enjoy, and I'll see you next chapter.  
**_

Chapter 31

Aelita was sleeping soundly and comfortably. In her dream, she was back in Lyoko's digital library, looking at all the raw data that she had looked over during the time that Jeremy had been trying to figure out the formula for her materialization. As she moved her hands over select panels of different studies. A flash of light engulfed the data, vaporizing it before her eyes. Aelita was terrified at first and warily turned around. A woman was before her. She was taller than Aelita by at least a foot. Animal skins clan her body from neck to foot, her feet covered in what looked like deer-hide boots. An emblazoned helmet covered the woman's face, only her eyes were visible. A spear was held in her right hand, beautiful and long; the point of which was made with ornate carvings of dragons at the base and the edges were semi-jagged, but Aelita could tell, razor-sharp.

"Who are you?" Aelita asked the figure.

"It's me, Aelita." The voice replied, "Sylvia-Anna."

"How are you here? How are you in my dream? I'm not wearing your bracelet."

"Perhaps not. But rest assured, there are other ways of performing this little gimmick."

Aelita paused, "What are you doing here?" she after a moment of hesitation.

"You have spent long enough in your father's archives in Lyoko. You have absorbed much and learned equally almost as much. It is now that I would like to bring you to my domain. To show you what I have been privy to in the many years since my birth."

Aelita concentrated and soon energized spheres generated from her hands, "How do I know that I can trust you?"

Sylvia looked at the orbs and the back at Aelita, "So, you've mastered lucid dreaming. Excellent, Aelita. Very good, indeed." 

"Answer my question, Sylvia. How do I know that I can trust you?"

The woman's eyes sharpened on Aelita, "You don't. That's what makes life interesting. Now, we can stand here at a proverbial impasse, or you can walk with me through my own databanks."

Aelita exhaled, and the sphere dissipated. Sylvia nodded, "Very good. Now, you're going to a slight sting." 

Aelita arched an eyebrow and was about to ask a question when suddenly the spear launched and pierced her right above her left breast. Aelita screamed, and she took a breath in. It was so sharp, so cold, the metal in her chest. She looked down, and the spear was pulled out. 

Aelita fell to her knees, "You fucking bitch! Why?!" she screamed through tears. As she looked down at the entry point, she was amazed as she saw no gaping hole but a small prick. "Huh?" she looked back at Sylvia-Anna.

"See? Now was that so bad? I told you it would sting a bit." Sylvia replied, leaning on her spear. 

"A bit? A bit?! You nearly pierced my heart!"

Sylvia sighed, "Were you always one for the dramatics? Or have you picked up a bit from Delmas?"

"Fuck you!" Aelita retorted.

"Masturbation doesn't sound terribly bad at this point. But, alas, we have some lessons to start."

Sylvia took the bloodied spear tip and pressed a section of white. Aelita was amazed as her blood droplet turned into an ever-expanding digital code that, in time, encircled both women. Sylvia then took her spear and cut her own hand and applied her blood to the same section of the wall and a similar code except it was colored cyan. As the numbers ran blindingly fast in rotation, Aelita approached Sylvia.

"What did you do?" she asked.

Sylvia replied without looking at Aelita, "I joined our blood in the element that was needed to unlock the shared connections between North-Gate and Lyoko. Combined, we can see a more accurate picture of the data we both had to work on for the duration of our time in cyberspace." 

"Why are you doing this?" Aelita asked, turning Sylvia around to face her. 

Sylvia extended her hand and gripped Aelita firmly, raising her to eye-level, "Because in the absence of my former stability, I need something to help stabilize and rationalize my procedures to come. Besides, we can learn much from our combined data files." 

A beep sounded, and Sylvia-Anna looked at it, "Just in time." She gently pressed the flashing node with her spear tip, and the code turned into a bird's eye view of a large city at night. 

Sylvia lowered Aelita gently to the ground, and she navigated the city by focusing on critical points of interest that were highlighted by a cyan marker. As the view of the camera drifted slowly towards the location, the two young women listened to the sounds of the city and listened more as the sounds became muted, and in time, they stood in front of a majestic towering mansion of black granite.

The night around them was still, barely a breath of wind dared to stir the leaves of the trees. It was in such calm that Sylvia knew many of the deciding voices of communities, and indeed nations could make themselves heard, for dealings such as theirs were best left to nighttime when most slept. Their homes magnificent in size, design, and materials loomed imposing and powerful over the many quiet lesser vestibules of the gentle suburbs. Sylvia-Anna knew pillars of the communities dwelt in these homes. Leaders, maintainers and, gatekeepers; the spinners of the threads of everyday life. In the hands of these select few was power; the power to grant life, prosperity, justice, and freedom. Just how much of either one depended very much on those throughout their domain. How much would one be willing to sacrifice? How often was one willing to sacrifice? Both questions demanded an answer if one was hoped to find what was believed to be a purpose, let alone contentment. 

Both questions were not only mandatory to be answered, but how one answered effected the powerbrokers themselves. It affected so very much. From the training to prepare one for a position to allowances to overlook minor mistakes, even going so far as to determine how quickly to take the rug out from under one who just "didn't quite meet the standard." Indeed, the answers to the two questions of willingness and frequency of sacrifice unknown to many who first cross the powerbrokers sealed their fate. It was, in a way, a dark game to the powerbrokers. A game that allowed all of them to sup with glee on choice meats, sweet and full-bodied wine, and desserts rich in sweetness and decadence of the very finest in dinnerware. Those below the great houses, however, barely had enough for a to meet the standard necessities of everyday life. Heaven forbid that one had an emergency. A rainy-day fund is what many of the upper tiers called such preparedness. However, those in the top tier never had much to worry about. In the grand scheme, they were taken care of; for they had answered the second question to the satisfaction of the masters at large.

Many, after hearing such things, would likely give pause and ask, "Just how did this come to be?" The answer would unsettle them more than comfort them. Such empires as having been described were birthed out of the love of money, the love of control, the want to be one's own master, and indeed, the master of others. The gatekeepers served their functions for the powerbrokers, many of them captains of industry, commerce, and community, to just name a few. The gatekeeper kept vigilant watch for those who showed immense promise. This promise manifests in many ways, either in intellect, charisma, strength, and resolve. If one was obscenely lucky, all properties would be in one individual; however, this was seldom the case. The gatekeeper will not let just anyone in. Those who are allowed need to be aligned to the critical aspect of the vision. The vision that power can only be entrusted to and adequately exercised by the few. The many are held to likely be too stupid to hold such power, and even if they did, they would not be of a uniform belief of how best to use it.

Once this person has been successfully vetted after a time by the gatekeeper, he will be instructed, groomed, molded, and shaped into a fellow powerbroker. This element is reserved only for those who have proven themselves able to answer both questions, as mentioned earlier, satisfactorily. This answer, however, unlike the lower tier of the gatekeeper is not just satisfied by words, but as Sylvia knew all too well, cemented by physical demonstrations of this declaration of willingness. Once the powerbrokers are satisfied, the junior powerbroker is given a district to oversee until he has proven himself worthy for advancement. This assigned district is made up of those who are a similar ethnic and cultural demographic to this new powerbroker. In time, the great test before advancement would be made evident: To unite the district through a veneer of community. However, this veneer is held together by the interweaving threads of violence and cultural pride.

Why is this done? And why mainly are these two threads used to achieve this vision? It is because, in the eyes of the powerbroker, oneness and sameness are mandatory to ensure a finely tuned element of control should things hit a snag or two accomplishing a greater agenda. The junior powerbroker is the emissary, the sated, and grateful puppet, making peace between the community and the older powers that be. 

Also, in a community where there is a desire for unity, pride can feed on the people. Once pride begins to feed upon the minds of those within the community, there comes a sense of danger. Soon, the mentality goes from the inclusiveness of other outsiders into that of "us versus them." This transpires after a certain threshold of tolerance is reached. From this mentality of drawing lines, movements of enforcement and protection are born. Usually, such changes are out of the communities themselves and typically of similar backgrounds among the members of such groups. The group is designed to keep a perceived level of status-quo in the city that benefits the dominant older demographic.

The older powerbrokers know that the existence of such pride-focused groups will ignite a counterbalance from the persecuted outsider demographic. The outsiders begin to form their own clandestine coalitions. However, an understanding is attained by the junior powerbroker. That understanding is that one demographic of a select area is desired by the elders to be the dominant power for that area. Once that demographic's control is steadily maintained for a time, the junior powerbroker may sit at the elder's table, having mastered the core disciplines. The elders, for their part, apportion this new zone with their initiatives pertaining to new economic possibilities or long-held desires. The people who felt they had resisted the older power brokers had been subdued, and it was in a way that was per the elder's wishes, timely, efficient, and above all, discreet. 

Sylvia waved her hand gently in front of her, and there was a dull static discharge. She looked back at Aelita and said, "Come on, I want to show you something." She walked forward, and Aelita cautiously followed as their presence darkened the door. Sylvia's hand gripped the door-handle, Aelita gripped her wrist.

"Wait," Aelita said, "What are you doing? This is someone's home."

"You want the answers you seek? You must dare and go into places you'd rather not. I would have figured with my brother's defeat you would have known this."

"I do want answers, but in this way! Tell me what you want me to know, and we'll work from there." 

"Why tell you, Sister, when I can show you instead?"

There was a click, and the door gently swung open. Sylvia, with a violent jerk, removed her wrist from Aelita's grip, "Go in." she said, "Seeing is believing." 

Aelita nervously walking inside the dimly lit home. Her breathing was quick and shallow as she walked along what she knew to be a black and white tiled floor. 

A light went on, and Sylvia walked forward into the home from the switch near the door. Aelita was amazed as she looked around this house. It was gorgeous. White marble seemed to be the order of the day when it came to this home. It was on the countertops; the very pillars of the great room and kitchen were also made of it. The counters and cabinets were made of the very most beautiful mahogany; the stove was of the highest efficiency and capacity for operation. The stainless-steel refrigerator was massive, taking up at least twelve feet of wall space. 

Aelita opened the doors of the unit and saw shelf after shelf of food. Refrigerated fruits, vegetables both whole and chopped; numerous cheeses, seemingly fourteen different types of meat, jarred fruit preserves, and a freezer full of assorted loaves of bread, many bottles of chilled Cristal, Patron, Hennessey, Vermouth, and Jameson. 

Aelita took a bottle of Cristal, and after putting it back, she turned back to Sylvia, "Look," she said, "Why did you bring me here? To show me the ill-gotten gains of Capitalism? I get it, I really do. You are upset that life is not fairer to others as it is with some. But since when is that any concern of yours? Does this perceived inequality give you a license to enter someone's house and take as you like? It sure as hell doesn't." 

Sylvia looked at her, rolled her eyes, and sighed; she felt an explanation was in order and said, "This is the servant's floor. There are four floors to this house, not counting the attic. This is where the food for the family is prepared by the staff who live just down the hall. Did you not take in of the raw amount of food in the refrigerator? Do you honestly see a family of four eating and drinking that much?"

Aelita looked back at the fridge and then back to Sylvia, "So what is all that food used for then? And if it is only a family of four as you say, why have so much space one home?"

"Now you're asking the right questions. Answer: The food is used for dinners of those in the city. It is used to help broker deals as well as showcase that this house and its occupants are the desired quality befitting assurances of what most in this circle would call progress." 

"Okay, that's the food, what about the sheer scale of the house?" Aelita asked.

"Simple. Many deals are brokered not just over food. Although it is a major part of such deals, and quality food at that. Many deals that run finer elements of everyday life are done in the backrooms of houses such as this. This is where the _real _money resides, Aelita. This is the resting place of the money that habitually buys paintings by Van-Gough for an opening bid of fifteen to twenty-five million."

Aelita nodded and said, "Go on."

"Gladly. Why so gracious a space? Hospitality and quality of said hospitality are key for people of power. This is largely what makes the world go around. A house this large is made partially in mind with the element of entertaining the necessary overnight guests, but no more than the necessary."

"So, a house like this is as much a home as it is—a business investment?"

"Yeah, that's dead on. The thing is it's also used as a sick kind of carrot, dangling at the end of every man's nose. It's kind of a sick twisted joke. Work until you are dead for the unconfirmed promise you may have a house like this." Sylvia-Anna laughed, "The only assured life choice which semi-guarantees this kind of life, at least early on in appearances, is armed service to the State."

"Now, you've gone too far!" Aelita yelled. Immediately a powerful sting was felt to her face as Sylvia-Anna slapped her so hard that it took a moment for Aelita to register the full pain.

"Quiet, moron! They'll hear you." Sylvia replied in a harsh whisper.

Aelita's eyes went wide as she was recovering from the shock of the blow, "Huh?"

Sylvia lowered herself to Aelita's height, "They will hear you. Keep your mouth shut or at least talk low."

Aelita's eyes went wide, "What are you…"

Sylvia held a hand to her mouth and said, "Shh."

Sylvia sighed, "That's enough for tonight. You're going home. I'll contact you when you're confirmed to be awake."

Aelita's face grew confused and then angry. She reached for Sylvia's spear and was about to lay hold of it when Sylvia grabbed her by the neck and squeezed. The force of the grip was not hard enough to choke her but enough to divert Aelita's attention. Taking a crystal peppershaker from the counter, she put it in Aelita's hand and threw her. Aelita flew backward, and then she felt falling. It was a fall with such incredible swiftness that Aelita almost lost her breath. Her eyes shot open. She was on her bed; it had just struck four. Aelita was breathing rapidly, but soon her heart stopped as she felt her hand gripping something. She raised her hand to her face. It was the crystal peppershaker from her dream. 

Later that day, Aelita was at Yumi's house. She told Yumi all that had happened in the past few days: her conversation with Cassius Dio, the discussion with Silvia before the dream, and the dream itself. Yumi listened intently, and when Aelita had finished, she took a few moments to properly process all she had been told. 

"Well," Yumi said finally, "It's a bind. That's for sure. On the one hand, we know where Sylvia's intentions lie; we know where her anger and resentment stems from. In many ways, it's a mixed blessing, as my grandmother would say. We know how she's going to proceed. That said, if what you have said is true, she has barely restrained anger just under the surface. The dark truth and the sad reality are something you may not want to hear. I believe it was Sylvia behind your mother's attack, and I believe she genuinely has tried to kill her. What's worse, as wrong as such an action is, she may have no issue attempting to kill your mother. If I were in her shoes and I found my mother was still alive, I'd likely sit on the information a bit longer; but what transpired would be not that far fetched as to what most would do given her history." 

Aelita nodded, "I more than realize her life may not at all have been ideal, but look at me, my father put me into the supercomputer, and I didn't turn into a maniac with homicidal inclinations."

Yumi laughed a bit, "Yeah, but Aelita, remember you didn't remember how you came to be in there, let alone the reasoning behind such action. Now, let's look at Sylvia, who has an accountable memory. From that account, she has a greater reason to desire an explanation of her situation. How did she word it to you? She said that at first, she believed her state was out of her safety but realized it was for your mother to hide her shame."

Aelita sighed, "Even though someone else's shame may be the reason you are given such treatment doesn't' give you a right to kill that person." 

"Are you so sure about that?" Yumi retorted, "Look at your own relationship with your mother. She only recently came back into your life, and I remember the rage you had towards her in your first meeting. Now, take that rage and magnify it in the understanding that you are seen as shameful by your mother. Because you are shameful to your mother, you are sealed away within a program. That is Sylvia's position exactly. It is easy to say it doesn't give you the right to kill someone, and yes, common sense would agree. But, Aelita, since when does mankind, especially in a situation as this, ever lead with a morally upstanding view? Never, and you know that. The human heart will want what it wants. Sylvia, in this regard, wanted revenge, and who can blame her? I can tell you now, much of the world would support such a decision. Why? Because of the allure of revenge for such an action." 

Aelita nodded, "Do you really think she'll try and kill mother?"

"She's already tried. Would she finish the job if she found your mother was still alive? I honestly can't say, but I wouldn't get my hopes up for your mother's survival in such an event." 

"Life and soul, you are," Aelita replied wryly. 

"It's just the reality we find ourselves in, Aelita. However, what needs to be done is what Sylvia is more or less asking you to do. What you need to do is call your mother, talk to her, and address this skeleton in the closet. Perhaps, if you talk with her, hear her rationale, you can convince Sylvia to let her live."

Aelita was silent a moment as she contemplated Yumi's words. Four minutes passed, and Aelita said, "You're right. It's what needs to be done. Question, do you think I could get a ride to the hospital where she's staying?" 

Yumi looked at the clock on the wall, "I would advise you to come back tomorrow, and I'm sure my mom can take you to see her. Today admittedly is a bit last-second." 

"Of course, I'm sorry."

"No worries, but tomorrow is not a problem. It's nearly lunchtime would you like something to eat?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

"We'll raid the fridge and see what there is."

"Speaking of raiding a fridge, what do you make of what I told you last night about my dream?"

Yumi got up and headed to the kitchen, and Aelita followed, "Honestly? I don't know. There's a lot to be considered. You said that you went to bed after the movie, and when you dreamed, you were able to talk around someone's house and see and feel their belongings. You then wake up with a crystal pepper shaker in your hand from the dream." 

"Yes, that's correct."

"I know," Yumi replied as she opened the fridge, "I'm just organizing it in my mind. Well, we've got salami, a few slices of various cheese, some roast beef—would you like a sandwich?"

Aelita nodded, "Yes, Salami would be fine."

Yumi took out the baggie of salami, and she took out two of her father's hard lemonades, "I don't have an answer for you, Aelita. I would have said she has harnessed the teleportation aspect, perhaps, as she does have the supercomputer. But, then how would you dream so vividly? In most of our dreams, we don't feel anything as in touch. But you said you felt her grip, and it was tight around your neck. You also said that you woke with the same peppershaker in your hand from the dream, and you have this shaker in your room. Okay, so the question would be, just how did that materialize from your dream into our reality?" 

"I don't know. There's no way to do it, at least as far as I know." Aelita replied.

Yumi was making the sandwiches as she said, "You said you had a feeling of intense falling when Sylvia threw you back?"

"Yes. It was a sudden drop like I felt my stomach was a lead weight, and the rest of me was just along the for the ride." 

"It makes sense. In our falling action in the dream, we're usually falling somewhere, but you said you woke in your bed, and apart from the shaker, there was nothing different?" 

"No, nothing."

Yumi sighed, "I don't know. Maybe it's something we haven't run across yet. Perhaps it's a new tool in her skill set., there's a whole bunch of likely reasons, and it would do no good to start guessing. She handed Aelita her sandwich and hard lemonade. 

"Thanks. I know it's the one thing that bothered me because it was exactly from my dream, but I don't know how that happened."

"Give it time and don't stress on it. We have time to figure it out; in the meantime, let's eat." 

As the two ate their lunch, Yolonda was taking advantage of her free time at North-Gate's residence in the city. She was sitting in front of what looked like an ordinary ham radio setup. But this setup, in particular, had been calibrated to correspond with Terry on his trip back home. There had been regular check-ins from him every day around this time, but for some reason, it was silent today. She had been at the station for the better part of an hour, and despite how punctual Terry usually was, he had deviated from what had been a steadfast schedule quite drastically. As Yolanda thought she could zero on his frequency, no luck. 

Taking her headphones off, she leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I honestly wonder what has happened back home." She thought, "It has been nearly ten years since were there last, and I know so much can change. It depends on the roots of what we endeavored to plant." 

A knock came at the door, and Yolanda got up and was amazed to see Terry outside. She opened the door and looked at him. He looked tired as if he had been through hell's half-acre far too much for his liking. 

"Terry," Yolanda replied, "I thought you weren't to be back for a few more days."

Terry entered the house, and he handed her a paper bag, "Your pretzel bread." He came in, dropped a small rucksack down on the ground, and lay down on the couch. He let out a sigh that Yolanda could tell was from sheer frustration and exhaustion combined.

"Thank you. Terry, what happened? What's going on?" Yolanda asked as she sat down beside him.

"I've had a bellyful." He replied after a moment and then said, "Turn off your implant. What I have to say doesn't leave this room."

Yolanda disconnected, and she said, "What happened?" 

He looked at her, "Everything we aspired to have happened back home—it's still going. Albeit with some changes. The social experiment didn't work nearly as well as we'd originally hoped. However, I learned from the last surviving member of the cabinet that they had made some suitable changes." 

"How didn't it work?" Yolanda asked.

Terry looked at her as if he had been shot, "We didn't account for people's greed. Greed runs this fucking rock. But thanks to the leniency of some of our policies, the suitable changes were made."

"What do you mean greed runs the world?" Yolanda asked.

"It does, Londie. Pure and fucking simple, it does. North-Gate's not wrong. There's an immense limit to how altruistic people can be. I've learned that. Leave it up to them, and they won't give to the people. North-Gate wasn't asking much with her ten percent off the top. We didn't think so. Ha! Boy, were we wrong. It only took five years for the people to want more. We have given them the greater ninety percent to do with as they wanted. It still wasn't enough. The old seeds, the seeds of the capitalist as our leader says, they're deep, Londie. They're very fucking deep. The good news is, there is a way to subdue it."

"How?"

"Go into my rucksack. I took those from the Bureau of Public Relations before I came back. That is what our vision has turned into."

Yolanda got up, and she went to the sack and pulled out the literature. It was in a blue and gold book. She came back and sat down. 

"_The Fall of the Machine and the Rise of the Citizen King." _Yolanda read aloud, "Hmm, very musical ring to it."

"It's our new government. Thank the Lord for our flexibility in some areas. Our party still has most of the great house, but we had to do a facelift as we more or less anticipated."

"And so, what is this?" Yolanda asked, "It's tiny. Not even sixty pages."

"It's a call to movement and action by someone who started out as a nobody, Florianne de Michon. She is an outstanding speaker and analyst. She's been given rank now, that's how good and loved by the people she is. But like the junior powerbroker, she's very cunning. She came forward to the great house four years ago when the people had enough of giving their ten percent. She is not against us. On the contrary, she's for us. Just in a different way."

"In what way?"

"Just read it, Londie. You can read it in half an hour. She's smart, oh ho-ho, she's fucking smart. I wish we had her on our team for damage control, honestly." 

Yolanda read, and as she read, she asked, "What is this kingdom, this Tourant?"

"That's the beauty of it. It's a phantom. It doesn't exist. Turns out we're not the only one with access to economic tools to help us in this way. Using the raw empirical data, she was able to gather, she convinced much of the leadership at the time if they wished to avoid a massacre, to let her speak to the people. She secured a position for herself as the people's hero." 

"You know how North-Gate responds to such a thing, so why are you so fed up?" Yolonda asked.

"A lot of reasons. The main one? Because in all reality as much as I don't like this Florianne or Flori as she likes to call herself, she's not wrong. It's like with anything, Londie, if you look deep enough, you'll find a problem. That's exactly what she did, and she rectified it but used the people's revolt to propel herself into her station. Not only that, but she fed into the greed that people naturally have. She made it a sport, just like it was before we came to power, but she made it so smooth in how everything ran, making everything sound the epitome of fair that she is practically untouchable. If the people found out, she was killed, all we worked for, and the last threads we have in power will collapse." 

"And what of our orator?" Yolanda asked, "What happened to Sabina?"

Terrance sighed, "They killed her. She was proved to be ineffective once Flori took the stage. To her credit, she tried to continue to stoke the fires of our movement. However, according to the records, she was killed in a protest. I wanted to bring her body back home, but by the time I arrived, she had been cremated."

Yolanda looked at him, stunned, "So now she's gone too?" she asked her voice gently breaking. 

John sat up and replied, "Yes." He sighed, "So much for our glorious vision, eh?"

Yolanda took a moment to collect herself and then said, "What about Josef? What about Henri, Father Phillipe, or little Maria?"

Terrance looked at her, "Josef was killed in the wake of Influenza sweeping through. Henri joined Florianne's movement and is a proud proponent of her stances. Henri sold out brother Phillipe, and they sentenced Phillipe to exile. According to the records of such people, he's a potato farmer now. I tried to find his farm, but expatriates are not 'worthy of mention.' And so, his location is not disclosed. Little Maria was more natural to bring into the Citizen King fold as they turned her into a state-press radio operator and jammer of outside elements." 

"State Press?" Yolanda asked, "Not even we were that stringent?"

"According to Flori, it is to keep a sober mind, free from distracting or corrupting influence."

"So, you met this woman?"

"She's a smug as hell bitch who got into power through a silver tongue. But can I fault her for her solution? It _is _rather ingenious. It benefitted her and others like her, but the people seem largely happy. The people are placated, they are appeased. Because Flori played into the two things, we would not, their pride and ambition. She made pride the principle motivator and ambition the common currency and mark of establishment. What's worse, people love her for it. I mean, think about it, what a great idea! Turn your own craft into something of legitimate pride, but you are still under a slight form of regulation, and so long as you work within the rules, you can pride yourself not only on what you make but how you are compliant to the code. She took our standards and, through the slightest alteration, made them beautiful."

Yolanda read through the small pamphlet, and she said, "According to this, she's a grand duchess…"

"Don't believe that." Terrence said with a chuckle, "The entire pamphlet is an allegory. She used those exact words to gain the sympathies of the inner chambers of the Great House, and she printed it for the primary movers, and when they read it, they deemed her more than worthy. She gave her initiation speech verbatim from that pamphlet. And because of her eloquence and grace, she is now a Grand Duchess in the new system, which is a fancy name they have for women Captains of Industry as they are called."

Yolanda stood and looked at Terry, "So, what's your plan? You know as well as I do, North-Gate will not accept these principles because it doesn't align with its morality clause. So, what's your plan?"

Terry was silent for a moment, and after a sigh, he replied, "I'll tell you. See, as much as I may not like Florianne, her policies build on ours. The issue that we face is not so much about morality. It's more accurate to say, we encounter people's individual motivations to work. Our system expects too much of people. We expect them to operate out of good faith, and we know that at least fifty percent won't do that. However, another thing that her pamphlet brings up is an emphasis on what to specialize in bolstering the economy. 

Our emphasis was to give people occupations based on their passions. That's only half the answer. Necessary tasks need to be met for a nation to thrive. However, the best way to do this is to have a society raised with a select ideal being paramount. Keep reading the pamphlet and you will see just how this is done. It takes our solution, and it extends it to multiple generations because of the line of teaching it to future generations. Make a community standard of acceptable behavior, and it will become the new norm. Passions, while important, cannot drive a country. There is much in terms of overall labor that needs to be done. I know what to do now to improve our own element. And that is to implement portions of what you see before you in that pamphlet."

Yolanda looked at the pamphlet and then looked at Terry again, "This will take work."

"I know. But the beauty of this is, while it may not necessarily gel with North-Gate on a moral ground, the systematic controls of the populace are something that I know would appeal to her. All one needs is a master of oratory; all one needs is someone to make the people see sense in this vision. It is not too late to do a lot of this. The best part is that we have so much of this already in production. We just need a new motivation moving forward."

"And just how do you intend to explain your travels to North-Gate? How do you intend to explain this new ideology?"

"As she does with much of her narrative, in doses," John replied. His watch beeped, and he said, "If you'll excuse me, I have to talk to the others." 

As he began to walk away, Yolanda said, "Answer me one thing. Why did you come to me and not to Maria, Emilio, Enrique, or Frank?"

Terrance turned back, "Because you're the only one who is likely to see reason out of all of them. You're level-headed. Go about introducing this kind of thinking to the others, and suddenly you're accused of being the rebel in the camp. I'm not a rebel, nor am I against North-Gate. But when you come against someone more skilled at seeing this from a more profitable angle, from a much-desired ordered angle, you submit to what they have to say. The man or woman who doesn't have anything left to learn is a braggart and a fool. There is always more to learn, always a new view to take in. That is why I spoke to you first. Because you're the most reasonable."

Terrance came back for his rucksack, turned, and headed out the door. Yolanda looked at the pamphlet in her hand. And she thought, "_Thank you, Terry. Thank you. Hopefully, now, the sacrifice of the others will not have been in vain."_


	32. Chapter 32

_**AN: This chapter comes a bit early this week because I need to focus on my studies this coming week. In the meantime, thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
**_

_**Pagliacci-11 **_

Chapter 32

It was a beautiful day as the sun rose. The air was sweet and fresh, and it was a very fulfilling time of day. It wasn't cold, but it was just the right amount of low temperature to make one relish days like today. Jeremy was in the back yard, dozing slightly in a comfortable chair that overlooked his mother's garden. He had gotten used to the medicinal dosage; he was no longer drowsy anymore. However, much to his shock, Jeremy found that his thoughts were even more uniform in structure than they had been previously. It was as if he had stepped out of the clambering halls of parliament. Now the issues were met on a case by case basis, and in many ways, this was perfect. 

The screen door creaked and his mother, Emily came out and sat beside him. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm better." Jeremy replied, "Oddly enough, what Dr. Watts gave me seemed to be just what I needed." 

"There's no shame in having a stellar intellect, Jeremy. But sometimes it's helpful to know when to turn some select features off from time to time." 

"I understand that now. Oddly enough, I don't think it ever registered that possibly overwork or overthought was the problem. But I do feel better." 

"That's good. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, not right now, anyway. Thank you, though." 

Inside the telephone rang and Michael was heard to answer it. He talked for a brief period and then came outside, "Jeremy," he said, "Aelita and Yumi are coming to see you in a couple of hours. They said that they had some things that they needed to talk to you about."

"Are you sure that's wise, dear?" Emily asked, "I mean, given everything that's transpired?" 

"It's fine." Jeremy replied, "It's very likely about a project that we have coming up next year. It's one of those notoriously difficult ones that live on in academia like a creature from folklore." 

"Really? Kadic has assignments of that caliber?" Emily asked.

"Well, it is a private institution, dear." Michael replied, "I'm sure every school has at least one element like that."

"Ms. Hertz is a great teacher, and it's kinda' natural for her to want to test the leaving class." Jeremy said, "Think of it as an intellectual census. It helps her to organize her lesson plan for the coming year." 

Emily nodded, "Well, if that's how it is, I have no issue with you working ahead, just don't work too hard. Remember, work smarter, not harder."

Jeremy nodded and replied, "Of course. Oh, since their coming over, could we make them a nice lunch?"

Emily nodded, "Sure, I don't see why not. It's not that often you have company, so sure, have fun with it."

"Alright, let's go to the market." Michael replied, "Rumor has it that James has a new supplier of produce and dairy, and I want to see what it's like." 

Emily laughed slightly, "Michael, sweetheart, a mushroom and gouda is a mushroom and gouda no matter where you go."

"Not true, not at all. It depends how the mushrooms were grown, where they were grown, how the cheese was aged, there's a whole bunch of factors to consider." 

Emily laughed a bit louder, "Oh, alright, then, go ahead to the market." 

"I'm just saying if Jeremy is to have friends over, I want this to be done properly." Michael replied, "Come on, Jeremy, let's go see James."

As they headed to the car, Jeremy asked, "How are Aelita and Yumi?"

"They said they're doing okay. They've just had some developments that they wanted to talk to you about. It's not terribly urgent they said, but they couldn't reach you on your phone, so they decided to come here." 

"Okay. It's not a problem, is it?" 

"No, not at all. We don't have that many guests, even in the general sense. Your friends coming will be just fine." 

Jeremy and Michael soon arrived at _Haupt's Natural Foods. _It was a store owned by James Meyer, a boyhood friend of Michael's The store had been in the area since before the second world war, and Michael knew, if there was anything that could be gotten here, it was quality food and quality food in abundance. As they entered the store, Michael went along the isles and soon spotted James.

"James, how are you?" he asked.

James went to Michael and embraced him, saying, "I'm well. it's been a little while since I've seen you."  
"Yeah, well, business keeps you busy. But then I don't need to tell you that. You told me you'd have the new product in." 

"Oh, yes. I'm glad you came when you did. I put some aside just for you. Apart from that, I can't keep the stuff on my shelves long enough. Come with me." 

Michael and Jeremy followed James through to the back, and James gave Michael two large paper bags. 

"Here it is. Gouda, fresh mushrooms, pumpernickel loaf, Beluga Caviar, and the rest of it. Here, go ahead, sample some." 

Michael sampled the mushrooms first, and James could immediately tell he was satisfied. 

"Oh, James, where did you get this?" Michael said, "Here, Jeremy, try some." 

Jeremy had one and was very pleasantly surprised. He usually wasn't that great a fan of mushrooms, but these were different. Savory, an earthy bite, and sweet. 

"These came from a new source called _Garb of Spring. _It's a large specialized natural foods company. They came to the country a few months ago, and their product is so good, I literally can't keep it on my shelves. It's proved a massive boon to me. I felt you should enjoy some of it." 

"Oh, it's delicious, James. Do you know where they're headquartered out of?" 

"I think out of Russia somewhere. But don't quote me on that. It's is good stuff, and I endeavor to keep it as a business partner." 

"With this quality of just mushrooms, I think it'd be more than prudent." Michael said with a smile, "When's your next shipment in from them?"

"Next week. Be here by Thursday at eight o'clock. That way, you can beat most of the mob who comes in shortly after." James looked at Jeremy, "How have you been, Jeremy? It's been some time since I've seen you last." 

Jeremy nodded, "I'm okay. Just taking the summer off from studies, and I'm good overall just been busy." 

James smiled, "Well, that's good. Keeping out of trouble?" 

"For now, in a manner of speaking, yes."

Michael said, "He's doing just fine, James. He just got a bit overworked, and so we brought him home." 

James nodded, "Well, study, that's a good thing. Just don't overdo it." 

Jeremy nodded, and Micheal said, "Well, thank you, James, and this is covered by my credit from last time, no?" 

"Of course, Michael. You'll always be covered here. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Nothing I can think of. But thank you."

As Michael and Jeremy left the store, Jeremy was deep in thought as to what had transpired, and he loved that his father had the freedom to perform these kinds of transactions, not only here but across town. Michael had deals at the editing office, he had deals at the store, he even had sales and lines of credit at the hardware store and the veterinarian. Sitting down in his seat, Jeremy thought to ask the question that was looming in his mind. There was no gentle way to ask it he knew, but in light of what he had seen his father and without doubt, others capable of doing, he had to get it out. 

"Dad," he said, "I have a question for you."

"And I have an answer. Buckle up and ask."

Jeremy fastened his seatbelt and said, "Capitalism versus Socialism. In your opinion, which is better?" 

"It's an age-old argument, Jeremy. Each side has its benefits and its drawbacks. In some ways, you can't have one without the other. There are limits as to how altruistic someone can be. However, generally, most don't consider one over the other. If they did, they would largely take themselves into the overall equation when arguing their point, arguing themselves oftentimes the producer of a situation. However, if put under a microscope, even the best provider takes advantage of aspects that socialism promises." 

Jeremy nodded, "Uh-huh. See, the reason I ask is you have amazing relations with people all over town. You have people extending your lines of credit in their facilities, and they don't mind doing so. Why isn't it more that way than not?"

"Well, Jeremy, you have to consider these things as one being the benefit of the town where we live. Everyone knows everyone which can be good or bad. However, because of the insular nature of our town, we have a mutual understanding of each other and each other's respective places in it. I have many lines of credit because I grew up with many of the people here who are business owners here. I am also very punctual about paying any debts that I owe, and even then, I only allow so much debt to be accrued at a time. It's the principle of being a constant payer of debts; also, it helps to build a natural relationship over time of goodwill from others because of your punctuality with debt payment. In many ways, you are seeing a blend of socialism and capitalism going hand in hand." 

"Yeah, and so let me ask, what is the danger of a purely capitalist system and a purely social one?"

"You're going to have significant problems if you went to either extreme without a place of the other. Capitalism, in the rawest sense without socialistic allowance, is tyranny by the wealthy if you will. A perfect example is that slavery and even the caste system. You have those designated to their positions, and those positioned are locked. Wealth is accumulated, sure. But it is seldom put to the good of the people. If the people get portions of that finance, it is literal crumbs from the masters' table.

Purely social lifestyles, on the other hand, must have funds from which to run any and all programs and, even then, would lead to a deficit of inactive people versus active people within it. The more significant problem being that none wishes to honestly give a portion of their own hard-earned money to the social machine. Because they don't believe in financing a sedentary life. For in their minds, "Why should the lay-about get what I get? It's not fair." Leaders such as Stalin saw this deficiency, and whenever you hear the term, undesirables, Jeremy, that is when you most need to be afraid. Because it is such a handy word. It can mean anything. From the man who doesn't dress how you like to someone who may owe you money."

Jeremy thought as his father drove back to their house, and then he said, "So, as we see in our town, we have an exchange of capitalism and socialism, the two in one. You have a line of credit, but because you pay your debts, your credit is extended, and if you must pay later, under a set of circumstances that is allowed. But in paying your debt, you give money to the establishment who can buy their wares to replenish their stores as well as pay their workers. Is that right?" 

"That's exactly right. Now, it's not this way all over the world, not even all over the country. But this is needed. Because it gives the human element of compassion and sympathy to an otherwise cold and hard system of purely supply, demand, and payment for the supply. Without the exercise of compassion and other humane elements, your society is doomed to die. That said, you cannot allow people to trample all over you because of your kindness. That is why we have courts to settle such things called a small-claims court."

Jeremy then paused, "I feel I know the answer, but I'm going to ask anyway. Why is it so hard to apply this general principle of both systems across a larger populace of people?"

Michael pulled up to the road that led to their house, "Answer what is on your mind as what you think is the answer, and we'll see how on the mark you are." 

Jeremy replied, "I believe the reason it wouldn't work is that as someone pointed out to me, people and their own reasons for not wanting to do either one." 

"And your friend is largely correct. In this world, Jeremy, you will find that people fall into one of two categories, leaders and doers or followers and supporters. Both are what shape our society, and just like you have the tug of war between ideals, you will have a battleground made of these two groups. I assure you, Jeremy, there is no shortage of self-regard among people no matter where you go." 

"But why would some people content themselves to be just supporters and followers? Where's the challenge in that?"

"The answer to your question is within your own question. It is far better to be a follower because much of the legwork and the actual thinking is done for you. At that point, you are taking orders to live the best life you can. And sad to say, a lot of people have no problem being the follower. It allows them to better utilize their energies for their passions." 

Jeremy then asked, "So they follow because it allows them the freedom to live the lives they want, but at the same time organization to fulfill their day?" 

"More or less. Passions are not wrong, nor are they evil but is often the hope of the follower that the leaders will take notice of their skill in their passion and elevate them to a leader's position based on their skill and merit." 

"Are there what some would call gatekeepers?" Jeremy asked.

"Define gatekeepers," Michael asked as they pulled into the driveway. 

"What I mean is, people who keep others from their full potential due to an element of nepotism or favoritism?"

Michael took the groceries and said, "There's nepotism in some regards in a lot of the world. Typically, you have nepotism if it's something like a small family business. Heck, not even small but often family business in general. It is not at all uncommon for families to want to keep the real reigns of power in-house as much as possible. Now, that doesn't mean you can't advance due to your skill or loyalty working with them, but you'll never be the head owner or co-owner, for example. It just doesn't work that way because well—it's that family's fortune and their right to do with it as they will." 

Jeremy thought a moment, "So, let me ask, is there ever an instance of such families working within the law to get that same effect?"

Michael sighed as they headed into the house and laid out the food, "It's like this, Jeremy. Yes, there are instances of that happening. But it's not like you would perceive it to be. Now, are there those who want to give their family the best shot if they can? Sure. Because on some level they see it as helping their family as best they can. It's throwing a bone as it were. However, such decisions are usually revealed to be either successes or failures in due time. Why all these precise questions, hmm? What have you been listening to?" 

Jeremy sat down at the kitchen counter and said, "It's complicated. It's a theoretical concept I was thinking about earlier in the week. The concept is if you make a system designed to help the people and keep them cared for, can it be viably possible with minimal physical interference without oppressing them?"

"It honestly sounds like a society with very light applications of law and order." Michael replied as he began to chop the mushrooms, "You may wish the best and hope the best for mankind. But the real issue is that inevitably the boundaries will be pushed to see how lenient the law is. If push comes to shove, the state has every reason and right to enforce its code of ethics and standards upon the people. If the people refuse to comply, then the proper legal action must be taken against them to maintain peace." 

"It kinda' feeds into what I was talking to with an acquaintance. Do you genuinely think that to give an occupation centered around one's passions and to have it applied to a whole society is viable?" 

"That's more of a eutopia kind of thinking and honestly? I don't have a solid answer for you. A society where your passions are your work, while it sounds admirable, what of all necessary jobs? Sanitation, policing, what of those jobs, and others like them? Very few love to police the people unless they have a power complex of some kind. Even fewer like to be sewage workers and exterminators. So, how does your acquaintance anticipate remedying such jobs?" 

Jeremy leaned back slightly in his chair, "All valid points."

Michael seeing the slight distress on his son's face, said, "Jeremy, it is best if you let this mental quandary go. I have explained what is needed regarding the two systems, a balance. However, when it comes to a much grander scale, it will take a lot of hard work and dedication to that work to strike any form of balance. There is no such thing as a perfect government because there are no such things as perfect people. What needs to happen to maintain society, is to open a dialogue between those who wield power and those who follow that power; that is the only way to ensure things are done properly." He checked his watch, "Give me a hand and start chopping up the parsley in the fridge. We're going to make your friends cream of mushroom soup."

Jeremy nodded and went to the fridge to retrieve the parsley.

Back at North-Gate headquarters, Terrance was sitting alone watching the hibernating central core of the program. He knew very well what he had to do. It was no different than standard maintenance on the program. He sighed as he got up and plugged in a USB jump drive into the maintenance panel. He set up his computer and began looking into the brain of the core. As he looked carefully file by file into the logs and subroutines that were in place, he saw what he more or less expected to find. The program had portioned itself out among its active drones in the world, and because of that, the central decision-making components were under-performing. In addition to that, regular daily maintenance and oversight had been skimped on in his absence. As much as Terry knew what North-Gate wanted to achieve with the three external nodes, the facts were facts. Thee endeavor was proving too high a strain on the system's stability. As Terrance looked at North-Gate's action in the last forty-eight hours, he knew this, in addition to lack of system checks, was forming a gradual snowball effect. Considering the radical shift that was beginning to emerge in North's Gate's logged actions, it made perfect sense to discontinue the active drones outside. But more than that, a hard reset would assuredly be the best move. It was not sound, not sound at all, to be at the command of something that was slowly being driven mad.

Terrance took out his pager and sent a fax to Yolanda at Kadic's infirmary. Yolanda received the fax as she was, and she read the following message, "Found the issue during maintenance. I need you here. Call in Beck. We're going to do a manual reset of the host into the program." Yolanda seeing this, immediately picked up the phone and called Jude, and once he was on his way to Kadic, she went to her car.

Terrance took his clearance chip and had it scanned by the central core's sensor. There was a moment before a keyboard came out of the central terminal. Terrance typed in his credentials, and the keyboard retracted. A deep tone reverberated throughout the chamber, and soon a hatch beside Terrance opened, and a large cylinder came up out of the ground. 

Terrance took a walkie-talkie and said, "Bring me a robe and a gurney to the central node, double time."

Maria came with a robe, and Emilio came quickly behind her with a gurney, and Terrance said, "Stand by." 

Terrance went up to the cylinder and opened a small window at the top. He reached his hand out to a white button and pressed it. At that moment, two vents opened, and jets of steam began to shoot forth from the top left and right ends and from the base. Terrance motioned for Maria, and he took the robe from her. The door of the cylinder gradually opened; the steam cleared to reveal a young girl about sixteen years old. Atop her head was a highly specialized interface in the form of a neuronal headset. Terrance took her in his arms and guided her arms into the sleeves, easing her down into a sitting position. Terrance pressed another button on the outside of the cylinder, and the neuronal headset detached. Terrance used his sleeve to wipe some of the gently pooled blood from atop her head and then gently lay her on the gurney. 

Emilio looked at the young girl before him, and he smiled a bit, "She hasn't aged a day." 

Terrance was silent as soon he heard running approaching the chamber. Yolanda had arrived just in time. He backed up as Yolanda immediately went to work.

Terrance was silent as Yolanda checked the girl's vitals one by one. Once done, Yolanda looked at Terrance. He mouthed the words to her, "Hard reset into the CPU."

Yolanda nodded, and she spoke to Emilio and Maria, "She's okay. Get her to the intensive unit and have the traditional massages over her entire body. One massage every hour on the dot. We can't risk too much dystrophy. Have the reserve keep a constant and fresh supply of hot towels. I want her to be as comfortable as possible. Also, ease her into a temporary diet of liquids gradually graduating to semi-solids and then solids." 

Emilio nodded and quickly took the girl to the infirmary while Maria remained at Terrance's request.

"It's a good thing you kept constantly automated and manual log overviews." Terrance told Yolanda, "You leave for just a few days, and it all goes to shit. Maria, why didn't you check anything? It's basic operational protocol." 

Maria replied, "It was only a couple of days. I honestly didn't think much would happen to compromise the mission in just two days."

Terrance sighed, "Look, you do a maintenance and wellbeing check _every day. _Without that, it's a very slippery slope to where we're dealing with what we are now. The system is unstable due to the stress of the three external nodes. The system can handle one active physical node, not three. It's much like XANADU; you can have one major clone out there, even have a polymorphic. But make more than that, and you compromise mission integrity. But I didn't know this was a problem until I had a chance to go home and look over some older notes." 

"I understand. What would you have me do with the units we have active?" Maria asked.

Terrance replied, "We have to repurpose two of them. Which of the units have made a formal introduction?" 

"Only one the rest have been on basic subroutines with minimal use on the outside," Maria replied. 

"Alright. Go to those other two and bring them into the assembly. We'll doctor them to meet the standard and repurpose them with a semi-active protocol with override ability. The first unit, we will keep on-field and use it as the proper conduit once the factory reset has been established. We have to make sure that we can have a proper reset on that unit while we do the hard reset on the processing core."

Yolanda spoke, "I can do that. It's not at all a problem, and it's minimal work." 

"Good," Terrance replied, "Maria, you will go to the holding station and the safe house, and you will attain the second and third units and bring them into the assembly. If you need help, have Frank go with you. I will set about making sure their integration into the ranks is as smooth as possible, but for right now, we have to focus on the reset of North-Gate." 

Maria nodded, "I'll be back in half an hour." She departed, leaving Terry and Yolanda alone. 

Yolanda asked, "Well, now we know why some portions of the program went into violent fluctuational use." 

"Yeah. Honestly, this helps sort out a lot of things. We can also use this to slightly alter the directives. However, too much alteration could set off warning bells. Leave that to me. I want you to focus on stabilizing the primary node also to keep Sylvia comfortable until it's time for her to go back in." 

"A question I have meant to ask you, you saw on the logs where they activated the Implant Initiative, right?" 

"I did, and I was very unnerved by it. I want you to keep an eye on Sylvia tonight once you get off. You and I need to assess her mental state after being in so long. It should be okay but with some of these fluctuations—I'm not sure. I think personally, once we sever and then rework the link to the second and third node, it should restore stability. That and the factory reset admittedly may put us a bit behind, but it's not so bad that it's detrimental." 

"What are you going to do about the Implant Initiative?" Yolanda asked.

"I'm going to do the smart thing, disable it. It's too much of a risk to use right now. We're going to go back to our basic methods. Amy showed the holes in the system that could be exploited, and as for the last use, it's too much of a risk as it stands, and there's potential damage that may not be able to be undone. It needs to be disabled, analyzed, and possibly restructured. Until such time, we're going to use our field kits as necessary and _only _as necessary."

Yolanda nodded, "Very well. I'll be back tonight, and I'll take care of our primary node. It's straightforward to do, which is a good thing. Will you need some help with the reset?" 

"No. I have all my necessary components, and it just takes a few scans, objective evaluations, physical uninstall, reinstall, and confirmation of sorts. At most, it will take two hours." 

"Alright. And I had time to look over the pamphlet. It's not a bad read. It's not perfect as a system goes, but it's definitely worth considering." 

"I'm going to implement just one or two small things with the reset, which should help us along. Considering what has happened since I've been gone, I'm debating how much of a rewrite is necessary. I'll know more once I do my diagnostics of the system and evaluations with Sylvia." 

"Alright, then. Well, I'll get back to Kadic, and I'll see you tonight." Yolanda replied. 

Terrance nodded, "See you tonight."

Back at Jeremy's house, Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy were having a spectacular lunch of cream of mushroom soup and tuna-fish sandwiches. As they ate on the deck out back, Jeremy listened to all that had happened with Aelita and her dream. Once Aelita had finished explaining, Jeremy sat back in his chair and processed the event. 

"So, you had a dream. North-Gate or Sylvia, as she calls herself, stabs you to get your blood for an integration. She gave you a hyperbolic expose on the evils of capitalism, told you that you were too loud, and she shoved you back, and you say you had a pepper-shaker from the dream in your hand when you woke up?" 

Essentially, yes." Aelita said, "I even have the shaker here with me." She gave Jeremy the shaker.

Jeremy looked at it carefully and smiled a bit. Then his face returned to normal, "Aelita, this is one of the pepper shakers that Kadic uses every Christmas when they want to showcase elegance towards the families of the students. Surely you remember. it's one of the odd things about Christmas that they have those shakers in addition to better cutlery." 

"Huh?" Aelita asked as she looked at the shaker closely, "But how? It was so very real!"

Jeremy then said, "You said she stabbed you and you felt immense pain. It was in your chest. Were there any cuts or anything on your chest when you woke?"

"No, nothing. I checked my chest, but there were no marks or anything of the kind." 

Jeremy snapped his fingers, "I think I have an idea of what happened. Aelita, do you remember you said to me that feelings of touch and smell were being amplified in North-Gate's manipulations of Lyoko?"

"Yes, why?"

"Okay, get ready. Yumi, do you remember when XANA made a full-scale virtual replica not only of Kadic but of the city, and none of us knew it was a trick until later?" 

"How could I forget? It reminded me of a twisted version of computerized version of _Inception_."

"Exactly. What I think North-Gate or Sylvia did was to copy the original formula XANA used, then she localized it in the context of a dream. We know that she has all kinds of methods of communicating with us, usually through technology. From her bracelets to something as innocent as a phone."

In all reality, there is very likely a chance that the house you saw was genuine. You described it well enough for me to draw that conclusion. However, the crux is that such a house was used only for her illustrative narrative purpose. Apart from that, it has no function. 

North-Gate also said that it had someone looking out for us that we didn't die. Okay, so, let's use logic. How would you consider that one of our celebratory kind of peppershakers gets into your dream? Much as XANA did, make a model of it. However, because of the feeling itself, it had to scan the pepper shaker into its databank. It's easy enough to swipe a pepper shaker out from anyone's nose if there are many of them. How did it get into your hand? Very likely, that same person put it into your hand as a kind of bridge between your dream and reality. You didn't go anywhere. I guarantee you it's all an elaborate ruse to make you _think_ you had been somewhere."

Yumi looked at Jeremy, her eyes wide, "Wow. That's smart. I mean, _very _smart."

"The scary part is, it's a very logical conclusion. Especially when you consider the pieces we know she has in play." Jeremy replied.

Aelita sighed, "Thank god. For a moment, I thought I was going crazy." 

"The thing is—" Jeremy hesitated a moment.

Aelita looked at him, "What is it, Jeremy? Is something wrong?" 

Jeremy took a breath and spoke his mind, "Insanity is her best weapon which she can use against us. Look at what she has done to me already. I am on medication for the treatment of seizures. Seizures that she started. In the hands of our current positions as teenagers and in the hands of potentially nervous parents— what better way to isolate us if we prove troublesome?"

The two were silent as they thought about Jeremy's words. In many ways, they knew he was right. Aelita, for her part, knew better than to utter the thought that was on her mind. That North-Gate never needed them as soldiers or even as advisors to help it. On the contrary, to use such pretense to better know you to put you on lockdown, that was far more likely. 

Yumi then asked, "What about your parents? They seem pretty normal, and easy-going is there any way to convince them you don't need your medication?" 

"My dad isn't a problem. My mother is. The only way to get her off my back is to take a back seat from all activities that would be perceived as overly stressful. Tell her I have a situation like this, and suddenly a lot of things are limited. My use of computers is restricted to an hour to maybe an hour and a half if I'm lucky. Again, which is why I say a nervous parent. Long story short, I'm going to be on a form of monitoring for the better part of summer until classes resume."

Yumi paused, "But Jeremy, you're a great student who shines in computers, robotics, math, and so on. But to tell me you're now being limited because of seizures? A bit harsh, don't you think?" 

"Not in the eyes of my mother. It's as she would say, 'a necessary hiatus to ensure the quality of life.'" 

Aelita arched an eyebrow, "It's a seizure, not a terminal illness." 

"That's what I said." Jeremy said with a laugh, "But again, nervous mother, what can you do? Hopefully, the shit doesn't hit the fan until we're back in session." 

Yumi looked at Jeremy, "Jeremy, it's North-Gate. If she's anything like XANA, when is a break ever our reality?"

"A guy can dream, can't he?" Jeremy asked, "At any rate. We'll see. Oh, Aelita, how's your new roommate, Amelia or Milly II as I call her." 

"I moved in with her this morning. She's a nice person. A bit withdrawn, but I think she's just shy. I tell you, as far as roommates go, I think she has the most books of anyone I've ever seen." 

"Oh? What kind?" Jeremy asked.

"A whole bunch of satirical books and plays. The rest of her books are diverse from Jung's Red Book to Da Vinci's drawings on the human body and all kinds of stuff in between." Literally, her whole book collection takes up three shelves on her side of the wall." 

"Huh, so she's well-read. That's good. It should make nightly discussions lively." Jeremy replied with a smile, "How's her music tastes?"

"If her CD collection is anything to go by, believe me when I say all over the place. You have classical, boy-bands, folk music, classic rock, punk, opera, symphonic techno, rap, soundtracks, it's insane."

"If your roommate is that diverse, I can't wait to see how ordinary Jeremy's is," Yumi said with a laugh. 

"Ordinary? What makes you think he's ordinary?" Jeremy said.

"I'm a huge believer in Murphy's Law, that's why and balance. If Aelita gets this much variety out of Milly II, I wonder, just how nature will balance you out."

Jeremy groaned, "I tremble at the thought. Isn't it enough that I have a sportsman sharing my room? is that not extreme enough?"

"Sure, in the most basic sense of balance," Yumi said. 

"I mean, think about it." Aelita said, "The way Delmas lined all this up, we have our opposites to help us grow as individuals if you choose to look at it that way."

"That's not particularly helpful," Jeremy replied. 

"Hey, if I can handle the rainbow for a roommate, you can handle Gaston."

"Charming," Jeremy said with a sigh. 

At that moment, Emily came out and said, "Excuse me, ladies, your ride back home is here."

Yumi looked surprised as she checked her watch, "Huh, a bit early."

Jeremy said under his breath, "See what I mean? Get a nervous mother, and visits are cut short." 

Yumi nodded, "I get it. Trust me, you have my pity. If this is how it is now, what was it like for you growing up as a baby?"

"I could ask you the same question," Jeremy said as they headed inside. 

"Before Hiroki came along, it was nice." Yumi said, "Imagine having all that attention to yourself."

Aelita laughed, "What do you mean, imagine? Jeremy always had that attention." 

As the girls left, Jeremy hugged both, and once in the car, Akiko asked, "Well, girls, how was it?" 

Aelita replied, "It was interesting. He spent most of the time licking the glass and making obscene gestures with his hands."

Akiko looked back, "What?!"

The girls burst out laughing as Akiko sighed, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Oh, I never kid, Mrs. Ishiyama." Aelita replied, "Sure, I tell cool jokes and stuff, but never kid."

As the car left the driveway, Akiko said, "Ms. Stones, your capacity for wordplay astounds me."

"Stick around, it gets better," Yumi said with a laugh. 

"Of that—I have no doubt."


	33. Chapter 33

_**AN: I thank every one of you for your support, as it means so very much to me. I was stuck for a bit admittedly this week in writing, debating if I should post or not. But after prayer, I decided to post this chapter for next week, so I can better focus on my studies. Thank you all so much for your reading, review, and encouragement. And praise is to God for my productivity. As always, read, review, and enjoy!  
**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 33

"Sylvia, are you alright?" the voice was soft as Sylvia gently opened her eyes to see Yolanda. 

"What—where am I?" she asked as she tried to get up.

"Don't worry, there's no cause for alarm. You're at forwarding station six." Yolonda replied, "We had to remove you for a hard reset on the North-Gate CPU." 

"I felt it was something like that." Sylvia said, "How long have I been in?"

"You have been in quasi-suspension for the better part of three weeks. In many ways, this worked out as we could bring you out, massage your muscles, and get you around the city to oversee some direct applications."

"That's good." Sylvia replied, "I'm glad you pulled me out when you did. Things were starting to get kinda' weird in there."

"Weird how?" Yolanda asked.

"I was beginning to feel sick as if I wasn't exactly at my prime capability."

"There are reasons for that. You were left unattended for three days, and so for you to feel off was to be sadly expected." 

"I was left unattended?!" Sylvia yelled, and then she began to cough. Yolanda gave her a glass of water, which Sylvia drank slowly. "I was left unattended. Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked with a bit less venom.

"Unfortunately, yes. Terry went back home to do some oversights of our endeavors, and during that time, people didn't exactly keep up to code." 

Sylvia sighed, "Figures. He's the only one I can rely upon with any degree of consistency to have integrity in what he does. What have you been up to since I last saw you?" 

"The usual cover at Kadic, overseeing the health of the team, that kind of thing."

"How's Icarus?" Sylvia asked.

"Everything's in place for the operation to begin. However, I'd advise you to let the traditional summer duration pass before starting the phase. It makes things of more natural fluid motion in terms of overall progression." 

Sylvia nodded, "Very well. Is Kaori still with us?"

"She is. In charge of the entertainment and legislation for the operation."

"Good. I have a few ideas for her to push. I've spent more than my fair share of time scanning the internet, and I have a few ideas which I'd like to see put into production. The sooner I can see her, the better we can allocate our resources to meet some of these smaller projects. While small, they'll line our pockets substantially."

"That's good, I'll let her know," Yolanda said as she got up. 

Yolanda felt a powerful grip on her arm, "One last thing before you go." Sylvia said, "This whole implementing the Citizen-King? What's all that about?"

Yolanda's blood ran cold as she looked at the girl before her.

Sylvia looked at her, "Let me clarify. See you were at _my _house. Even if you turn off your implants, I have means of seeing that goes on. Now, please, what is the Citizen-King?"

Yolanda sat back down and asked, "Why to ask me what you already know, Sylvia?" 

"I want to hear it from you, and then I will ask Terry. My reason is that I want you to admit to me what you two are up to. If you don't, I'll kill you both."

Yolanda said, "Okay. Simply put, much of your program can't work and, in fact, has not worked back home. Others looked at your methods and improved on them. The Citizen-King is a method implemented from one such person." 

Sylvia smiled and released Yolanda's arm, "There. Now was that truly so hard? You know what pains me? Is that you don't trust me enough to address me directly on this method."

"To be clear, it's not you that we didn't think would see reason. It's the North-Gate program itself that would not." 

"That's actually a wise assessment. To go against a program like that is not the easiest. That said, a hard reset is the best option to implement what you desire. It wouldn't hurt to rewrite the code either to make your desired policies a bit more amenable."

"So, you're not mad?"

"Heavens no. I had time while I was inside the machine to do separate calculations. So many facets of the program do not work. Several major ones, in fact. However, I am not abandoning the vision of North-Gate. North-Gate has a sound vision. The objectives that are needed to meet the overall agenda, they are what needs tweaking. But from now on, I want you to be honest with me. That is all I ask, and if you have questions, ask me. Right now, it is a perfect time. However, if you do not do as I ask and be forward with me, I will kill you. Of that, I will have no hesitation. So please, in the interest of self-preservation for yourself and others, be honest with me from here on out." 

Yolanda nodded, "Is that that all?"

"For now. And Londie, do not of me as a tyrant. Without a strong group, I cannot achieve the vision we desire. I _need _you and Terry, the others as well. But if we have division in the body, the vision fails. The division of the body is what I will not stand for. Keep secrets from me, and you will be suitably disposed of. There's no reason we cannot operate as a family should. But for that to happen, there needs to be communication but more than communication, trust. Now, go on about your day. I will be in touch very soon."

Yolanda got up, a good deal unnerved, but she knew that even though Sylvia was young in appearance, her mindset was very much matured. Yolanda knew what Sylvia would do, she said she would kill her and Terry. The simple matter of fact nature of such a statement is what scared her most as if the killing was just another bodily function. Yolanda went to the main server room, where Terry was switching out select memory banks. 

"She knows, Terry," Yolanda said. 

"About what exactly?" He replied as he removed a segment of the core.

"About the aspects, we attempted to do with the Citizen-King." 

Terry hesitated a moment and then put a replacement segment back into the core, "That's unfortunate."

"Terry, she's willing to kill us if we keep secrets like this from her."

"There's always that risk be it forthright or be it behind her back. However, it is noted for future work, and I thank you. For now, we're going to continue research and development for her guardians inside Lyoko." 

"How can you be so fucking calm?!" Yolanda asked as Terrance closed a compartment of the core.

"Simple. Sylvia has told you how to survive. That method is to not keep secrets from her, so we won't. Rather, from this point on, we'll be so forthright that forthrightness will be the select quality that you and I are known for. Besides, I have my own sneaking suspicion just how she came to find out about our conversation." 

"And that suspicion being?" Yolanda asked.

"I'll let you know when I'm more certain. It wouldn't do any good to tell you what isn't confirmed. Certainty is better than doubt, that's my motto."

"And when this fly in the ointment is found, what then?"

Terry turned and looked at Yolanda, "All good things to those who wait. Now, I'm going to finish up the reboot and reset." Terry approached Yolanda and smoothed out the wrinkles on Yolanda's lab coat, "I suggest you go back to Kadic and attend to the students. I'll call you to have a nice breakfast before work tomorrow."

Yolanda nodded, "And what of the second and third nodes? Are they suitably dealt with?"

"They will be, I assure you. In two to three hours, they will be a thing of the past."

Yolanda nodded, "Very well, I'll be on my way, then." 

"How's the traffic looking tonight?" Terry asked.

"It's usual for this time of year. Barely anyone is there, and so it makes it very easy. Most of the students from outside will come in, in the next week or so." 

"Sounds nice. Plenty of time to relax, it sounds like."

"It's not bad, admittedly, but it's the rest before the surge. The summer program will kick off soon, and that's where a lot of initiates will come in." 

"How many on average?"

"Oh, about twenty to forty. It's nothing too daunting."

"That's good. Well, I'll be in touch. See you tomorrow."

Yolanda waved, and she headed out back to her car. It was a lovely evening. It had just rained, and the smell of the moistened earth filled her lungs. It was beautiful, her own little Eden, in a way. As she drove back towards Kadic, Yolanda thought on what Sylvia had said and, indeed, what Terrence had said. It was honestly and forthrightness that Sylvia wanted. In many ways, it made sense. How otherwise would anything be done? But why was Sylvia so harsh towards her? It was Terry who'd proposed the concept of the Citizen-King. Even then, it was only upon being proven wrong did Terry flinch in his position for North-Gate's vision at all. Was that all it took? Was that really all it took? To see the system fail and see how they remedied it to come back with a new idea in mind? 

Yolanda thought on this more and more as she headed towards Kadic. It wasn't a pleasant thought to possibly be at the behest of someone so fickle. But maybe there were things that Terry had seen that she hadn't. She knew it was quite likely that he had visions of an ideal like many in the North-Gate program. But until the viable proofs had been shown to him how the deal didn't work, only then did he have room to safely doubt. Terry had only spent the better part of three days of his planned week's absence back home. Why were three days enough? When he had come back, he said to her that greed ran the world. But, Yolanda knew from reading the Citizen-King it wasn't just greed, it was still a socialist system. The only different thing is that it gave enough room for people to grow and be powerful. But the people would always be monitored by the state. It was Socialism with freedom of movement. In many ways, it reminded her of an old cartoon she remembered when she was a teenager back in her history book, "_We'll give them freedoms but not too many freedoms. Rights, but not too many rights." _

"Maybe that's what so appealing to him," She said aloud, "it allows him what he desires, but someone took it and molded it into a more palatable serving." 

Yolanda sighed, and she hooked up her phone to her radio. Once she had selected her chosen song, she relaxed as she neared Kadic. It was back to the office, and in many ways, that was its own comfort. This time of year suited her best. It was Kadic at its most calm, and what's more, she had time to decompress from all that transpired lately. Yolanda got out of her car and headed towards the infirmary and found its door slightly ajar. She pushed the door in with her elbow and found the window was open. She turned on the light and found that most of her filing cabinets had been rigorously searched as had her desk. Her books had been opened and thrown around; the cabinets emptied and examined as had the nearby closet. She closed the door and went to her desk and unscrewed the first leg, and emptied out the hollowed-out leg. The codes were still there, that was good. Whatever was being looked for, they didn't find what was necessary. She went over to her books and found her copy of _The Divine Comedy_. She looked at the back of the book, it was still raised slightly, an excellent indication.

Yolanda began to pick up her files and put them back in order. As she did, she heard footsteps behind her. She quickly turned and saw Jean-Pierre behind her, "I'm sorry, Yolanda. They came looking for more information about Mr. Barrow." 

"The government, huh?" she asked, "Well they fuck us on our taxes every year, why should their searches be any different? Man, had I known he was this much of a wanted man, I would have turned him in myself. What the fuck could they have wanted that required them to come in here and make this mess, Jean-Pierre? You tell me that."

"They knew you were a contact of his from his younger days. They figured you would have some information that you may have not been willing to be forward with."

"If this is how they treat my workplace, I can't wait to see what they did to my home. Even then, why did they have to go into student records?"

"I don't know. I truly don't. They went into the student archives as well as if looking for someone." Jean-Pierre said, "Here, let me help you."

Yolanda gave an exasperated sigh, "Sure, let's start with my books. Then we can sort the student files back into their cabinets. 

As they cleaned, Yolanda asked, "When were they here?"

"They came as soon as Jude got off shift about thirty minutes ago, they left just before you came in."

Yolanda nodded, "Wonderful. Did they say anything of what they were looking for, at least?" 

"No. I was told it was government business. They went into student archives as I said, so it could very likely be a person." 

"Couldn't you just do a search into what they rifled through? A reverse search even?"

"Yolanda, you know our system is strictly paper except for finance." Jean-Pierre replied, "However, they were looking from what I supervised under the last names starting with P. Does that help?"

Yolanda shook her head and said, "No, it doesn't. Sorry."

Jean-Pierre nodded as they continued to pick up the office. Meanwhile, through sleight of hand, Yolanda activated her implant. She thought a message into the prompter and sent out the message, "_Parliament seeks Penrose. Repeat, Parliament seeks Penrose." _Terry was finishing the hard-reset of the North-Gate system when the news came through. As he looked at the message, he was silent for a few moments. Weighing his options, Terry was deciding to either go out in full-force or to be diplomatic.

As he sat back at his terminal, Terry thought for a few more moments. Several options would suffice. However, to be sure, he needed to know on just what level the interference had begun. He activated his implant, and as he headed back to the critical care unit, Terry decided to wait until several questions had been answered, just what path to take. Terry accessed all operational histories and communications, and as he looked over the log, he found one field kit to be active. Terry opened the information and found the field kit was registered to Aelita Schaffer. He paused in his steps as he saw a twenty-five-minute call to an outside number. Pressing play, he listened to what the kit had recorded and sent to the database.

"Hello, Mother," Aelita said. 

"Hi. What prompted such an early call?"

"I had a few questions I needed to ask you and just figure out a few things for myself."

"Alright. What questions do you have?"

"We'll get to the more pressing ones later on, but one that I have for you right now is how well-trained is North-Gate when it comes to psychology?"

"It's one of the basic subroutines. It is also a primary method by which it attempts to mediate a lot of the problems that it is given as per its original design. Why?"

"It's just something that occurred to me a little while ago, nothing too major. I just wanted to know if psychology was something that the program was given from the get-go." 

"Well, like XANADU, it is a learning computer. It does learn after a set amount of time. That said, it depends on the mission parameters, just what it focuses on. While North-Gate is not a militaristic function, it does have militaristic applications to try and keep order. But being a learning computer, it can learn deeper aspects of psychology and apply them. But it only knows what it is taught or programmed with, like any element of its nature." 

"We had run-ins with how XANA learned and utilized psychology, and admittedly while looking back, it seems entry-level, entry-level techniques like he pulled were surprising, to say the least." 

"That's life, Aelita. The simplest methods are by which the most complex schemes are undone. It's an unpleasant fact of life, but it's sometimes how it is."

"Well, in other news, I moved in with my new roommate."

"Good. How's that fitting you?"

"It takes a bit of getting used to, but nothing I can't handle. She's nice enough, not exactly talkative. But give her time to warm up, and I'm sure we'll get something out of it." 

"That's good. Are you ready for classes next semester?"

"Ready as I can be. I've mastered a lot of the fundamentals and even advanced elements of most of the classes. It's fitting, to say the least. I have an opportunity to take advantage of an education that I would otherwise not have, so I am grateful for it." 

"Aelita, enough small talk. Why did you call me? You and your Jeremy don't just call for no reason. There's always something to be asked, be in favor, or something else." 

"Not everything is an exchange or a want, mother."

"Until the future proves different, the past is all I have to go on. But you said you had pressing questions. If possible, I'd like to get those out of the way so we _can _have a more relaxed conversation."

"Alright. First question. Who is Sylvia-Anna Penrose?"

Terry heard silence for a moment, then Anthea's voice came back, "Who?" 

"Who is Sylvia-Anna Rebecca Penrose?"

"She's nobody that I know. Why?"

"Are you sure about that?" Aelita asked.

"Quite sure."

"Why are you lying to me, Mother?" 

"I'm not lying to you."

"Yes—yes, you are. Don't. Who is Sylvia, mother?" 

"She's no one, Aelita, she doesn't exist. At least, not that I know of."

"No, she does exist. You know who she is. Would you like me to tell you who she is?"

After a silence, Anthea replied, "Go ahead." 

"She is the daughter of you and Jonathan Barrow. The man who was here, or as you say it, the man who is moldering in his grave. I can't tell which story is a lie. Either way, she is the avatar of North-Gate, as I was the pseudo-avatar of Lyoko."

Again, there was silence on the phone. Aelita asked, "Mother? Do you hear me?"

"Who told you this?" came the reply.

"The girl herself, that's the amazing thing."

"So, let me get this straight. You're trusting the avatar of a program—which we already know is debatable in terms of the overall trust, and now it's saying that it's a love child that I had with John Barrow?" Anthea laughed, "Are you serious?" 

"Why would she make it up? Why be so particular about her descriptions?"

"What did she tell you?"

"She said she was integrated into North-Gate at age eight. As to why that happened, she says only you have that answer. She says you have the keys to North-Gate, just like Daddy made keys for him and me for Lyoko. Honestly, for a while, I couldn't figure that little detail out. Why be so particular as to not give you a set of keys in case you came back into my life? I think the answer, as much as you may wish to deny it, is staring me right in the face. Why did he leave you with the government project and not take you with him? Because it feeds back to the aspect that he may well have not trusted you enough with Lyoko." 

"Aelita, it's not that simple. This goes back to your original question, Does North-Gate know psychology? Do you have any idea how basic it is to make a love story between myself and North-Gate's own creator? We were friends, without a doubt. We were close, this is true, but it was never on the scale that is being portrayed to you." 

"You were friends, you were close, okay. The question remains, how close?"

"We were close enough for him to tell me he was gay. Aelita, it was a different time, and people just weren't as accepting of such people as they are today. As much as you may be told otherwise, it just isn't true. it could not have happened, would not have happened, and it didn't happen." 

Aelita was silent a moment, "I need to think about this. A lot is going on right now, and frankly, I just don't know what to believe right now." 

"Aelita, listen to me. This fantasy this machine has concocted, it didn't happen."

"Okay. Answer me this then, what was the name of his partner?"

"His name was Tom. Thomas Majorek. He was a lovely man, and if memory serves, he's still working as a radio-station manager in Warsaw."

Aelita asked, "Don't you know?"

"Fuck, Aelita, I don't keep track of these kinds of things. All I know is that Tom went back to Warsaw after Johnathan's death. Maybe he went back to his work at Warsaw radio, maybe he didn't. I don't know!" 

Aelita sighed, "I'll look into it in my free time. in the meantime, I'm trying to figure out a few other things."

"What other things?" Anthea asked.

"North-Gate did something that has put Jeremy on anti-seizure medication. I saw him, mother. As together as he seemed, something just felt off when I saw him with Yumi yesterday. It's something also Jeremy proposed. That North-Gate could easily use natural medical excuse to hamstring us if it wished."

"And you decide to trust this program with the story of its own origins? Aelita, assuredly you were raised better than that." 

There was silence, and Aelita spoke, "Oh, you want to speak of being raised? I was raised in a library of records of history, politics, sciences, and countless other things. I was raised by my friends. Why do you think I call them family, mother? Because in father's and your absence, they did become my family. Mother, you don't know! You didn't speak to this person. She's not just a portion of a program, she's thinking and rationalizing human being. But what makes me afraid for you is that because of her anger towards you, because you abandoned her in the machine as what she calls, your shame, she'll try and kill you." 

"What you need to remember, Aelita is that sound logic is very much in the eye of the beholder." Anthea retorted, "Much as beauty is subject to personal choice, so is rationale at the end of the day. It depends, which doctrine you listen to, which you will eventually endorse. You fear this girl; this thing will try and destroy me because it blames me for what it is? How do you even know she is a human being, and as XANADU was, not just mimicking human empathy and sympathy?"

"As I said, you didn't listen to her; you didn't hear her rationale, let alone how she processed my questions. No machine can possibly behave that way. XANA was bound by rules, but this being is not. It's as Jeremy said to me recently, it's a fact no artificially made intelligence could speak as I did. Mother, it's the same thing." 

Anthea sighed, "Look, I'll call you back. I have something I have to attend to at present."

The call ended, and Terrance thought on all that was said. He patched into his implant, and he said, "Maria, did you preserve Anthea's blood sample from your blades?" 

"I did. It's in our database. Type O- rich in iron, potassium, and zinc. She's quite healthy."

"Send me the data. I want to check something."

"Sure."

Soon Terry could see the bloodwork on a screen before him, and as he made a hard comparison, he smiled grimly, "Yes, yes, very good." 

Terry patched through to Yolanda, "Rest assured, Penrose is safe from Parliament." 

A response came, "Are you sure? We _cannot _risk the compromise of the mission." 

"Quite sure." He replied.

Terry got up from his chair, and he patched through to Maria, "Did you bring back our eyes and ears?" 

"I did. They are in the medical ward in subsection C."

Terry went to subsection C and saw the two forms lying on their slabs. Taking the female, Terry turned her body over and located the implant jack at the back of the skull. He took the North-Gate database and jacked it in. Terry went to the database and went to a file called Boneyard. Entering the various clearances, he entered the tertiary core or North-Gate, and he plugged in a headset. 

Soon an avatar came forth, "Terry!" the voice said filled with joy, "I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's been too long, my old friend, but I'm all set. I have good news. You, Ravin' Ricky, and Jacob will be with us again very soon. It will take a little processing time, but soon, the band will be back together." 

"Oh, Terry! Do you have any idea how glad I am to hear that?!"

"If it's anything like it is for me to say it, I can more than understand," he said with a smile. 

"What do I tell Jacob and Ricky?"

"Tell them, all the proper materials are in place, and it took just until recently to complete all I needed to, to be sure of the project's success. You'll be home soon, Amelia, all of you will be; I just have to do a test run. To make sure this works." 

"Take your time. it's just so wonderful that this news came today."

Terry smiled, a tear gently running down his cheek, "As am I. I'll be in touch." 

"Of course. Say hi to the rest of the team for us."

Terry ended the connection, and then he went through the Boneyard to another compressed file. He activated the release code, and he said, "This is the good doctor. Are you there?" 

A woman's face came forward from the blackness, and she said, "Are we set?" 

"In fifteen minutes, we will be. Are you ready for transfer?"

"All set. What's my mission when I land?"

"I will tell you when you come across. I have your body ready it just takes the tiniest bit of conditioning."

"Let me see it."

Terrance switched the woman's sight to his sight, and he went over the body visually, and the woman replied, "An excellent job, Terry. Excellent." 

"In ten minutes, I will load this into the chamber and begin your upload into the physical body. After a few jolts of electricity, the transfer should be complete."

"Alright, let's get to it. I can't wait to eat true food again."

Terry ended the connection, and after typing a few lines of code, a white cylinder came out of the floor near North-Gate's node. Terry typed a transfer hiatus on the program and carried the body to the chamber. Once he secured the body in the chamber, he jacked the implant into the cylinder. After scanning his chip for confirmation, the cylinder sealed shut, beginning its descent into the ground. Once in the ground, there was a loud click of a lock.

Terry patched into his implant, "All North-Gate associates, please gather in the central hub, All North-Gate associates gather in the central hub."

Within five minutes, all members had gathered, and Terry said, "Give Yolanda fifteen minutes to get here. She needs to see this."

As it worked out, Yolanda was already on her back to the compound after straightening up the infirmary, and once she received the message, she arrived in ten minutes. 

Once all were gathered, Terry spoke, "Brothers and Sisters, we have all of us observed losses over the passage of our initiatives and operations be it from the rage of people or by simple accidents. Twenty years ago, I approached North-Gate with a vision. A vision to stop this senseless cycle of loss and tragedy. It took countless hours, sleepless nights, and gallons of coffee for me to achieve this. Within ten minutes, you will see one of our fallen sisters walk among us in a new body. Her mind, her soul, her essence given a new shell. 

Without a doubt, many of you will remember Philomena Stout. A great enforcer for our group, a phenomenal intellect, and tactician. It is she who will in ten minutes, walk amongst us once more."

"Impossible!" yelled Emilio, "Philly died thirteen years ago! Don't you dare fucking toy with us, Terry! There's no way in hell that you can bring her back!"

Terrance began to laugh gently, "Emilio, my friend, I assure you that I can. It has taken years, as I said, to perfect this formula. But I assure you what I have said has gone beyond the theoretical into the realm of the achievable." 

Enrique looked at Sylvia, "Did you approve this?"

Sylvia nodded, stunned, "I did years ago. But I never thought anything would come of it." She laughed, "Well played, Terry, I mean it most sincerely." 

At that moment, a computerized voice said, "Transfer complete." 

The white cylinder began to rise slowly from the ground, and once fully out, there was a loud click. Terry went forward and peered inside. He scanned his eye on a receptor, and steam began to be released. Terry went and brought a gurney from the care unit and a robe. Two minutes later, the steam ceased, and the casing began to gently open. Terry stood nearby, and the group saw as inside the woman's eyes opened. 

Terry extended his hand, and she took it, "Easy," Terry said, "Easy, one step at a time." 

The woman moved gently but not towards Terry. She looked at her hands, as if seeing them for the first time, her eyes wide in shock, and then back at the group before her. She took Terry's hand as he clothed her in the robe, and he sat her down in a chair. 

Emilio came forward and said, "Philly, is that you, sweetheart?" 

The woman looked at him still in a look of shock, and she spoke, "Yes." It was soft at first, and the woman shook at the sound of her voice. She then said louder, "Yes! I'm back! Emilio, I'm BACK!" 

Emilio embraced her, and she hugged him while Maria and the others looked at Terrance in amazement. 

Philly looked at Terry, "Terry, you crazy fucker! You magnificent bastard, you did it!"

Terry gave a nervous chuckle, "Philly, can I say something?"

"Of course, what?"

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, and she looked at him, "Seriously?! That's what you want to say?" 

Terry smiled, the largest, even what some would consider the dumbest grin he had been known to smile. 

She sighed, "Ugh, Go ahead."

Terrance took a massive breath and yelled, "It's Alive! It's Alive!"

"How the fuck did you do this?!" Yolanda screamed as she cried.

"It's the whole reason I made the implant. Oh, I'll tell you in a moment! Hold on! "Terry began laughing and even began to dance, "Huzzah! I must tell Amelia, Jake, Ricky! I have to tell our world!"

The group was stunned as Maria, Enrique, and Yolanda asked respectively, "Amelia?! Jake?! Ricky?!"

Terry went to his terminal with Enrique, Maria, and Sylvia following. Terry and began to feverishly type. Soon he was back in the Boneyard, and soon Amelia, Jake, and Ricky came on, "Guys! Get ready to rumble!" 

The three were amazed at the faces before them. Maria and Yolanda screamed, "No fucking way!"

"Hey guys!" the three said nearly in unison as they waved.

Terry went back to the infirmary and brought out three bodies, one of the bodies being Sylvia's former node. He typed in the command code, and three more white modules came up and opened. Terry's heart beat faster as one by one, Terry plugged each body into their chamber's North-Gate jack. Once he had secured them with the waist and neck brace, he activated the process, and the cylinders began to descend. The group was still in silent, stunned shock as they saw what was going on. Terry went back to his terminal and launched the initiation codes, and then there was a resounding click as the cylinders locked in place.

There was an automated voice, "Clearance code needed."

Terry smiled as he pressed the button, "Don't Fear the Reaper."

"Confirmation confirmed." The voice replied.

Terry sat back in his seat and said, "Hey Philly, what food do you want?"

"Give me a fucking burger!" Philly replied.

"Are you sure you don't want a Philly Cheesesteak?" Terrance replied and burst out laughing.

"Terry, if I weren't so grateful for what you'd done, I'll kick you right in the balls!" Philly replied.

"Oh, come on, Phil, it's been so long since I could tell that joke." He said with a laugh.

Maria slapped him in the shoulder, "Seriously, Terr, how did you do this?"

"Do what?"

"This!" Yolanda yelled, pointed at Philly, and slapping him upside the head.

"Ow! Hey, watch my head. I have issues!" He sighed, "I devised the implant to capture what I narrowed down after five years to be the soul and memory energy equation as I call it. I noticed over many accounts of journals, and more of my own records that exactly twenty-one grams of weight immediately leaves the body upon death. I figured this finally in the form of what I called the tangible energy equation. And from this, through admittedly dark processes, I figured out where the soul energy departs from upon death. Not so coincidentally where the implant is. So, after that, I figured out how North-Gate can home in on the spiritual energy and call it back into itself if it is linked to a system to send it directly to it. The Boneyard is the digital and energy-subsystem holding the souls and memories of those who voluntarily took the implant. 

Figuring out eventually how to get the energy back into a body took time. But it wasn't until recently when I developed the more exceptional functions of a functional positronic brain, thank you, Mr. Asimov, that I could suitably found a resting place for the soul and memory energy within the body." 

"How long did it take to make the brain?" Enrique asked.

"A long time. About ten years of just flat-out research to be exact before I could even think to approach a test model. Another four as it graduated in phases to completion with the latest model being, without doubt, the most sustainable." 

"And so," Sylvia replied, "The nodes you made recently weren't so much for my use."

"They were at first. But fate had a different intention in mind apparently. It was for this purpose. I realized I came upon the perfect equation for the energy to be housed when I realized what three nodes could drain from North-Gate proper. I didn't think about it so much, but I took the temporary setback we had and made good out of it, as best I knew how." 

The cylinders began to rise from the floor, and Terry went over to them, three robes in hand. As they set, Terry scanned his eye once for each cylinder, and each began to vent the steam. The doors of the capsules gently opened, and one by one, Terry helped all three out of the cylinders clothing them by turns.

Maria spoke first, "Terry! Terry! I'm back!" She went forward, and she embraced him tightly. He returned her embrace, gently crying, and said, "It's so good to see you, little sis." 

Ricky looked at everyone, "Guys! It's so good to see you!" He said with a beaming smile that so many of the group knew was his as he gently walked forward to the group and was about to hug Yolanda, who understandably was in immense shock.

Ricky embraced the Yolanda tightly, and she too cried as she said, "You have no idea how glad I am you're back. Oh, Rickey!"

Ricky embraced Yolanda warmly and said, "You have no idea how so amazingly good this feels, to have you back in my arms."

Sylvia was silent as she walked to Jacob, and she said, "Jake? Silent Sanford, is that really you?" 

Jacob embraced the young girl, "Little Sylvie. Still little, I see." He said with a smile. 

Sylvia looked at him, and as she looked in his eyes, she could see it. The gentle but loving nature of the young man she'd known. Her brother was how she saw him back them, and to see that same kindness, that same gentleness laced with firmness, it was a wonderful gift. 

Yolanda looked at Terry, "Terry, thank you. Thank you so very much."

Terry's smile faded, "There is a caveat to this little miracle of science."

The group's smiles faded, and they looked on at him. Terry continued, "This can only happen once. I know what many of you are thinking, 'Why to separate us to only reunite us to separate us again?' My reasoning is because I saw pain so very much, so very much sadness that I felt if there was anything to give all of you just one last chance together, I'd take it. And this is my solution. Treasure each other, enjoy your times together." 

The group nodded, and Ricky said, "Hey, cheers to you, old boy! We'll sure make the most of it! A great cheer for Terrance the Compassionate! Hip-Hip"

The group resounded, "Hazzah!"


	34. Chapter 34

_**AN: This chapter came a lot sooner than even I was expecting. However, the thanks is to God for his help in this chapter's creation because I am very much satisfied with how it turned out. This chapter will be posted for the week after next, and so I will have two weeks to better focus on my studies.  
**_

_** Thank you all so very much for your reviews and your support of my work. I immensely appreciate it. I hope you all read, review, and enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next time.-Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 34

It was spring as Aelita looked out the window, the sun shining elegantly through the immaculately clean pane of glass. She could help but laugh as she felt the warmth of the sun on her hands. She was running along the wooden floor of the hermitage, and she saw her mother and father talking in the kitchen. They looked so earnest in their moment of conversation, and despite how she was watching them, she could barely hear them as they spoke in the barely audible tone parents are want to do to keep their children from hearing select things. Paying little mind to this, Aelita continued her merry way to the couch. After pulling herself up, she sat comfortably on the couch a moment and looked to the pile of presents on the ground nearby.

It was her sixth birthday, something she knew because of how much time had built up to it. Waldo had asked her what she would have liked, and she told him. However, she was not so naïve as one would think. Aelita knew there was a slight tension between her parents. When she'd asked both them on separate occasions, both had given relatively the same answer. Be it, "It's grown-up things, sweetie, don't worry," or "It's nothing that should worry you." But she knew it was something. It was definitely something. The several nights that her mother had come home late, and her father had confronted her on the subject were the worst. There were low voices at those times too. Aelita would see and hear this due to gently peeking from behind the corner that leads to her room. The arguments would last for all of maybe ten minutes, but it felt a great deal longer than that.

Aelita would retreat to her room after an amount of time. Eventually, she would hear her mother's hurried gate to her room and a slam of a door. Aelita would close her eyes, but soon her own door would usually open, and her father would gently come in and sit in the chair near her bed. He would be silent in those times, and she could feel his eyes on her sleeping form. She knew he hurt inside; she knew the aching of his heart. Whatever was going on, it was hurting her father far more profoundly than he'd cared to let on. 

This morning was different; however, this morning was Aelita's morning; her birth morning. And she hoped that no matter what was happening, it would stop at least for a little while today. At that moment, she heard the doorbell ring. She got up to see who it was, and as the door opened, she saw her mother embraced the man who came through, her uncle. Her father seemed less pleased to see him, and he shook his hand. Aelita was silent as she beheld the man before her. His face was gentle and kind with small beady green eyes. He came in and embraced Aelita, and she loved his hug, so firm and warm; his small braided goatee and curlicue mustache smelling of lavender and jasmine. It was a lovely smell that Aelita associated forever with this day.

Soon, her parents came in, and Waldo brought out a cardboard box and set it down before her. Aelita was elated as she knelt and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful knit doll. 

"Oh, he's so cute! What should I call him?"

Waldo replied, "How about Mr. Puck? It means Goblin."

"Do you like him?" Anthea asked.

"Oh, yes, yes. Thank you, Mommy!" 

As she was still looking in the box, there was a small click. As she embraced her mother, there was another click.

Aelita's gaze turned towards the sound, and it was her uncle who was taking the pictures. She waved at him, and he waved gingerly back. As the day continued, there was an enormous amount of fun, an excellent time for everyone to enjoy themselves. Throughout the time, Aelita couldn't help but shake the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The tension between her father and her uncle had not passed. 

That night, when Aelita was supposed to be in bed, again, she heard the low voices. They were angrier and just a touch louder than they were at nights prior. Her father was furious as was her mother; they were fighting. Fighting over something to do with closeness, something was too close, something was a high risk. But what? The argument went on for a bit longer and then finally subsided. The door to her parents' room closed gently, and her door opened. Her father came in and gently sat beside her. She remembered his smell; it was the comforting smell that he always had from his soap, that of figs and cinnamon and nutmeg. It was a smell that was distinctly her father. 

He was silent for a moment, then he whispered as he gently stroked her hair, "I'll never let him get close enough to hurt you. Never, Aelita, you have my word." 

He got up and turned on Aelita's radio, gently turning it to a barely audible volume. Opening a CD case, Franz put the disc into the tray and let it play.

The music was soft, so very smooth as it played, but it was equally soothing. 

_Now that I've lost everything to you_

_You say you wanna start something new_

_And it's breaking my heart you're leaving_

_Baby, I'm grieving_

_But if you want to leave, take good care_

_Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear_

_But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_It's hard to get by just upon a smile_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_I'll always remember you like a child, girl_

_You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do_

_And it's breaking my heart in two_

_Because I never want to see you sad girl_

_Don't be a bad girl_

_But if you want to leave, take good care_

_Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there_

_But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware_

_Beware_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_It's hard to get by just upon a smile_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_And I'll always remember you like a child, girl_

_Baby, I love you_

_But if you want to leave, take good care_

_Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there_

_But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware_

_Beware_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world  
_

_It's hard to get by just upon a smile_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_And I'll always remember you like a child, girl_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_And it's hard to get by just upon a smile_

_Ooh, baby baby, it's a wild world_

_And I'll always remember you like a child, girl._

Aelita awoke from her sleep, and she sat up to look at the clock. It was six in the morning. Amelia slept in the bed nearby, and the softly playing radio had faded to the announcer's voice speaking in the soft voice accustoming the early risers of the day to a rhythm, "_And that was Cat Steven's Wild World. It is 6:00 in the morning on this the tenth of June. We wish a good morning to you all as we continue our mellow Call of the Dawn Morning Segment. This is Mickey Crews, KLSO, Paris."_

Aelita sighed lightly as she got up and, after getting her robe, headed down to the showers. As she turned on the hot water, she let out a sigh as if she had spent the last two days in a state of constant pressure. Aelita went into the jets of water and gasping at first due to the shock of the water to the skin, she then eased her body into the water and began to clean herself. As she showered, Aelita reflected a bit on her dream. She remembered her uncle but strangely enough, not what he was called. But the smell of lavender and jasmine, she would never forget and was partially why when she discovered what the scent was, used it in her shampoo and conditioner. Strangely enough, the smell was the closest thing she felt to home. 

But who was this uncle she could not remember the name of? Was that man really Johnathan Barrow? The real Johnathan Barrow? It was a question she knew she could confirm easily, and so she would. Also, just what was happening on Lyoko would be an exciting thing to check in on as well. Aelita knew that if the team were to stand a chance at fighting North-Gate, that inevitably they'd have to become intimate with North-Gate's vision on Lyoko. This was good. Aelita had a plan of operation and consequently structure for her day.

Aelita turned on the cold water and decreased the hot by a few degrees, and now in cold water, she breathed rapidly at first and then gathered herself. Turning the knobs off, Aelita dried off with a nearby towel and got into her robe. Now, she was set for her day. Heading back to her room, she opened the door and saw Amelia getting her clothes and bathrobe ready for the shower.

"Good morning, Ame, how are you?" Aelita asked as she sat on her bed.

Amelia looked at her, "I'm barely alive. I need my shower, and I need coffee." 

"Coffee? I'm sorry I still don't know how you can drink that stuff."

"Simple. I put it in a cup and lift the cup to my lips, gently swallow. This is called drinking a beverage."

Aelita chuckled, "Smart-ass."

"Thank you, Ms. Stones. I'll be here all semester. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's an arctic blast with my name on it." 

"Like the cold ones, do you?"

"It's the only surefire way to wake up in the morning—well, one of the main points anyway." 

"The other being your glorified bean juice?"

"Just bean juice. Glorified means I go all decadent on it. Which only happens for my birthday and New Year's."

"I meant glorified as in you exalt it in a way that not most do."

"You'll understand when you have late nights and have to camouflage with morning people."

"I already do, it's called finals week. After that, it's called college." 

Amelia looked at her, "Sure, because book learning is just so important to some. See you soon."

Aelita chuckled as Amelia went down the hall. Once she was dressed, Aelita sat down at her computer. She signed into to find her bot, and it was still floating around in the general vicinity of where it was last time she checked on it. Aelita went into the makeup of the bot, and as she was looking, her screen flashed red. Aelita's eyes went wide as there was no way her bot was supposed to be detected this easily. How? She had not even initiated a parameter scan. Aelita sent the bot through to the ice sector, but midway through transfer, the screen began to flash red again. 

"How?" Aelita thought aloud. She began feverishly typing, and once she had finished the code, that was necessary, the bot was swept through to the desert region. As Aelita looked at the torrents of data that were passing through her bot, her eyes went wide. 

"This is absolutely insane!" she thought, "Never did this program have this much juice before! All this data, all the changes, what in the world is this?!"

Aelita typed quickly but not as quickly as she wanted to. She had to ensure accuracy over speed, that was becoming very evident that accuracy was what was needed to keep up the camouflage. Aelita was amazed that as she typed to take on a new identity of a lesser bot, that so much data was being added to the base program. The sheer amount that was being processed was staggering, and Aelita had to be very careful but also timely as to not lose this progress. She kept typing, kept computing as her program was nearing completion of its remodel. Her small bot had grown from four megabytes to a full gigabyte. But why? Why so much of a drastic addition? The whys didn't matter, what did was keeping up. Aelita was sweating from her forehead as she was beginning to keep up. Ordinarily, she'd have an assistant program active, but she knew that the assistant would barely help here. She knew this could only last so long. The data had to have a breakpoint in it somewhere, but where? If it wasn't soon, Aelita knew she'd have to abandon her bot, and to do that would lose the only insider to the North-Gate program.

The bot was still growing; it had escalated from one gigabyte to nearly two. But why so big why so much so soon? As Aelita typed, faster and faster, she grit her teeth, the pain from a small developing cramp was building in her fingers. "Fuck, fuck, no!" She screamed at herself. She took both hands by turns and clenched them into fists until finally, the lines of code ended. 

Aelita was slightly panting. "Wow! Just—wow!" She sent out an initial system scan, and as the scan went over the targeted area, Aelita was amazed as the scan surged over the territory it was now in. However, as she continued to watch the scan, that amazement turned to horror. 

The scan showed that the size of the sectors had not only been augmented, but to Aelita's amazement, they had vastly expanded, and the sectors were no longer wide ranges anymore. Instead, the cityscapes which she had seen with Jeremy before had been exponentially grown. What's more, as she saw the scan's results, she counted all manner of different security bots. There were also various elements of different types of security bots. As the list began to be compiled, Aelita counted at least twenty bot types, with some automated with some others being manually operated. However, that wasn't the worst of it. There were citizen drones all throughout the different quadrants that had set routines and acted as additional semi-active eyes of the bots. 

Aelita took several screenshots of this and sent them to a compressed file. Once done, she set her bot to drift and collect more data. Taking the compressed folder, she typed a message, "Proxy Pie, call me. This is big. This is just a sample of what is going on with Lyoko." Aelita immediately sent the program snapshots to Jeremy.

"What was that?" Amelia's voice came from behind her.

Aelita froze, "Huh?" she turned around and saw Amelia standing just behind her.

"That was fucking amazing! What was that?"

"How—how long have you been standing there?" Aelita asked as she gently got up.

"Long enough to see you nearly have a heart attack and type up a blue streak to where I just have to know what that was. Come on, Aelita, what was that?!" 

"It's a program some friends and I are working on. That's all it's for next year's robotics class." Aelita said as she went towards her nightstand.

Amelia sat down at the computer and was looking at the data pouring in, "Look at all this stuff! Warden Bots, Matchlock Bots, Cavalry, Night-Watch, and City Protectorates—what are you guys making?!"

"Look at this book it will tell you everything," Aelita said. 

Amelia immediately whirled around, and a flash came from Aelita's phone. Amelia twitched, and after a short gasp fell to the floor, unconscious. 

Aelita moved quickly as she knew the window that the return to the past gave. She securely closed out the program, deleted her draft to Jeremy, and turned off her computer. Aelita then began the operation of getting d Amelia's limp body into her bed. The girl was a quite bit heavier than she looked, but Aelita was able to finally get her into her bed. 

As she sat down on her bed, Aelita thought, "Man, she's a lot heavier than she looks." 

In about four minutes, Amelia began to gently stir. She groaned a bit, and she looked at Aelita, "What-what happened?" 

"What do you remember?" Aelita asked.

"I remember—coming back from the shower—after that—nothing," Amelia said, clearly confused. 

"Would you like for me to get the nurse?" Aelita asked.

"No, no. Just get me some water. I feel a bit nauseous."

Aelita headed out to a nearby vending machine and got a bottle of cold water. She came back and gave Amelia the bottle. Aelita sighed as Amelia seemed to come out of it. 

"Man, that was really, really weird." She said.

Aelita nodded, "Are you feeling better?"

"A bit, thanks."

"Come on, let's go get you some breakfast. Who knows, maybe you're just hungry."

Amelia nodded, "Yeah, good idea."

Meanwhile, at Jeremy's house, he had just received Aelita's email, and he looked at her screenshots. As he looked at the systematic implication given the scale of Lyoko, he was astounded. Lyoko's parameters and perimeters had been expanded twenty-fold. As Jeremy looked at the bot varieties, he wrote down what had been sent to him, and once finished, he looked at the list. It was a very in-depth system, and building on what he had seen previously with Aelita, Jeremy concluded what was being made was a seeming scale model of Renaissance-Era Rome. But to what purpose? For if what he had seen in the screenshots were accurate, there was so much attention to detail given, it felt a bit bizarre.

Jeremy got up and looked out at the expanse of the countryside outside his window. As his eyes wandered along the tree line, Jeremy contemplated what all of this meant. North-Gate had modified Lyoko already so much. Any more change and soon enough, everything would become as much a new frontier as it was when he first turned on the supercomputer. Jeremy had to see the active components of Lyoko, he had to verify with his own eyes, just what was being seen from Aelita's bot.

To wait for the school semester to start would waste far too much time. In many ways, the uncomfortable truth that North-Gate had achieved to do what XANA had all be dreamed; It had divided the group by literally separating through distance and circumstance. Ulrich and Odd were back with their families. If history was any guide, Odd's family inclination towards venturing abroad during the fashion season nullified him entirely from the equation. Ulrich was with his family and likely on a trip to see his relatives in Austria. That left Yumi and Aelita, which severely underpowered the group, and to go alone was certainly not an option. 

Jeremy sat in his chair when there was a knock at his door, "Come in," Jeremy said.

Emily came in, and she said, "How are you feeling?" 

Jeremy gave a light sigh, "Well, much the same. How are you?"

"I'm alright. Your father and I are headed out to for the day we'll be back around five or so."

Jeremy nodded, "Alright is there anything I need to do in the meantime?"

"Yes. If you could take care of the bathroom while we're gone, I'd appreciate it."

Jeremy nodded, "Alright, easy enough."

"Would you like us to bring you back anything?"

"Depends. Where are you going?"

"We're going to Patrice's."

"In that case, the salmon with a loaded baked potato." 

Emily nodded and smiled, "Alright, we'll see you this afternoon."

Jeremy went up to Emily and gave her a hug, "Thank you. I'll see you both this evening. Just be safe."

Emily chuckled, "Jeremy, it's only to Patrice's."

"Even so, just be safe." He said.

She kissed him on the cheek and said, "We will be."

They left, and Jeremy knew he had the better part of twelve hours to himself. Heading down to the living room, he sat down in his mother's chair and relaxed a moment. In all honesty, it was great to have his parents out of the house. It wasn't that he didn't like them, not at all. However, as was the wont of many teenagers, he desired his privacy, his own quiet time to collect himself away from people. It was in many ways an equal rate of exchange, that's how he preferred to see it. His parents would get to enjoy a day out and enjoy themselves, he got the house to himself. As Jeremy lounged, he thought about calling Odd or Ulrich to see what was up with them. He meditated on this for a while and then decided it was worthwhile to chance it and so he opened Aelita's phone and called Odd first. 

The line rang, and soon Odd picked up, "Hello, oh cousin of mine." 

"Odd, it's me," Jeremy replied. 

"Aelita, I know puberty can be hectic and all, but why do you sound so very much like Jeremy?" 

"Very cute. Odd, it's me, Jeremy."

"What are you doing with Aelita's cell-phone?"

"It's a long story due to our friendly neighborhood North-Gate."

"Did the hinges get stuck or something and demand your phone as payment to allow you to pass like a classic troll?"

"Odd, focus." Jeremy said with a chuckle, "How are things going for you?"

"Ah, they're okay. I'm actually heading back to Kadic early. Mom had a whole exhibition to tour Europe with, and honestly, I'm not for it. So, my parents called Delmas, and he said I'm good to come back to Kadic for the summer intersession."

"That's actually great to hear honestly. What about Ulrich?"

"Ulrich and his family are headed to Russia this summer. They have a friend of his father's they're going to meet and spend the break hitting a lot of the tourist hot-spots."

"That's not so bad. I was wondering if I could get the team together for a bit of exploration on Lyoko since North-Gate launched an overhaul of the system."

"Isn't that a bit risky with Ulrich gone?"

"Not to worry. I coded everyone's actions into a small portion of software, so I could make a reasonable AI counterpart in case something like this were to happen. The AI, however, is one that I will control manually, so I will be with you in spirit." 

"Pretty good idea there, Einstein, I have to admit."

"When will you be back at Kadic?"

"Give it a couple days. Dad's going to drop me off at the east entrance. You might want to contact Yumi to let her know what the plan is."

"She's the next one I'm going to be calling, don't worry."

"Alrighty then. I'll see you in two days, Einstein. Say hi to Aelita for me when you can."

"Will do. See you later, Odd."

Jeremy then dialed Yumi, and her phone rang. After four rings, Yumi picked up, "Hi, Jeremy." 

"How did you know it was me?"

"Aelita's sitting right across from me, and besides, you have her cell-phone, after all, that's happened with our mutual acquaintance." 

"Indeed. Hey, Yumi, I have a question. Would you like to join, Odd, Aelita, and myself for a trip to the reformatted Lyoko?"

"You're going to join us in the supercomputer?" 

"Not exactly. I logged Ulrich's techniques and methods of engagement and movement, and I'll be utilizing an AI from the lab to see what you guys see." 

"Oh, well, that's new. When did you work on that?" 

"I finished it around the time we brought William back. It's a relatively simple program."

"Hold on, Aelita wants to talk to you."

Aelita's voice came over the phone, "Jeremy, have you had a chance to look over what I sent you?"

"I did, and it's honestly amazing. The boundaries of the sectors have been massively expanded. It's my thinking that if we don't explore at least a portion of one sector over time, we'll be hopelessly lost in the other sectors. I'll make a waypoint to get to come back. Hopefully, the time we spend in Lyoko will allow us to make precautionary sweeps of at least one sector to see what we can anticipate in the others."

"It sounds good but as I sent you, there's all manner of security bots out there so we'd have to be careful. If I sent you a cursory glance at what I have able to glean from North-Gate's server, could you devise us a cover code so we wouldn't be as easily detected?" 

"I can certainly try. If the code of expansion and the bots is any indicator, it will be an exhilarating challenge. I will also work on a few new protocols I wanted to implement originally to see it that will help us."

"Great. Oh, you're on speaker, just to let you know." 

"Can you hear me, Yumi?" Jeremy asked. 

"Loud and clear. I approve of what's going on. When's Odd coming back?"

"In two days, he said."

"That's good. We'll have some time to prepare for this." Aelita said.

"In the meantime, I have to convince my mother to allow me to get back to Kadic. With the recent medical scare that North-Gate sent my way, getting to Kadic will be a touch of a task." 

"I have an idea," Yumi replied, "how about you tell her that we're all getting together to have one last hurrah before vacation officially begins? I mean it would buy us two to three days at least. That way, if anything goes wrong, we'd have a bit of time to recuperate."

"It might work. Where would you have me dropped off if she buys it?"

"Have her drop you off at my house. I'll make sure Odd is here before you, so it looks just a bit more kosher."

"Sounds worth a shot, honestly. Alright, let's do it." Jeremy said.

"Alright. I'll set it up with mom and dad." Yumi said.

"Jeremy, I'm taking you off the speaker. I need to tell you something." Aelita said. 

"Alright, go ahead."

There was a moment of silence then Aelita said, "Jeremy, I researched Johnathan Barrow, the original Johnathan Barrow, the co-creator of North-Gate. And—Jeremy, I knew him as a child. I only saw him once, but when I saw his picture in the obituaries in his hometown after a search, I knew it was him. He had the same goatee and mustache he had when I was a child." 

"Are you sure, Aelita?"

"Yes. John was at my house on my birthday when I was six, he took two photos, one with the three of us, my father, my mother, and I. The second picture was of me in my mother's arms on that day. He was known to me as my uncle, but never given a name, just the title of Uncle." 

"That's not uncommon. A lot of parents familiarize close friends as aunt or uncle whoever to make sure the child isn't afraid of them."

"I know. So, the question remains is Sylvia, the avatar of North-Gate, truly my half-sister?"

"Have you asked your mother about this?"

"I have, and she denies any element of Johnathan Barrow and her ever being intimate in that regard. She told me that Johnathan was a homosexual that such a union would not and did not happen." 

"And that doesn't check out?"

"No, it doesn't. Johnathan Barrow had a wife, Svetlana Tolkachev, and three children. At the time of his death." 

"That doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't a homosexual. He could have just been closeted is all."

"I thought about that. I researched John's supposed lover, Tom Majorek, as she called him, and I cross-referenced the name with radio-stations in Warsaw, and he was manager of one station but only for two years. He had a few different smaller jobs, but then after three years, he vanishes without a trace."

"Aelita, I would advise you to take a break from the Johnathan Barrow element for just a bit. I know it's a major question you want to have answered, but I feel that if you persist in following this, it may blow up in your face in more ways than one." 

"Not my face, Jeremy, more my mother's. But maybe you're right." Aelita said with a sigh.

Jeremy spoke softly, "For right now, let's just focus on exploring Lyoko's revamped sectors. Once we have an idea of what we're dealing with, we can then deal with the smaller pieces of the puzzle."

"Of course, you're right. I just wanted you to know what I have found so far."

"And I appreciate that Aelita, more than you realize. Is there anything else that you need to say?" 

"No, no, it's okay, Jeremy. Thank you." 

"Of course. I'll be in touch over the next couple of days, okay?"

"Alright, thank you. Goodbye—I love you, Proxy-Pie."

"I love you too. See you soon."

Jeremy ended the call and gently closed the phone. He sighed lightly as he rested in the chair. It was helpful to now have a plan of investigation at this point. It was the right call. Jeremy got up, albeit reluctantly, and went to his room. He got out his laptop and looked up Johnathan Barrow and Svetlana Tolkachev. Some lovely wedding photos were in greyscale out of respect for the late man's memory. "Hmm, nice looking facial hair, I give him that." Jeremy thought aloud as he looked at the elegant braid and waxed curlicue mustache. 

He continued to scroll through the photos. However, on the eighth layer of photos, he stopped cold. The picture was in a park, closer examination revealed it to be just outside Kadic on the park bench. It was of Johnathan, Svetlana and Anthea Schaffer and a child. John was dressed in an elegant black suit with a light blue vest black shirt and blue tie. Anthea was in a matching summer dress, and Svetlana was dressed similarly to Anthea. All three looked extremely happy. However, between Anthea and John was a child sitting on both their knees. She about eight years old. Jeremy's heart beat faster as he zoomed on the child's face. The young girl in the photo and the avatar of North-Gate was the same person.

Back at North-Gate's hub, Terrance was sitting at his command console, looking at the small vial of Anthea's blood. Terry knew what he was ordered to do at the same, even he was hesitant. Terry knew the surges of pain this would cause several especially one person particularly. His own heartbeat was fast because he was nervous.

Terry looked at Sylvia, who was beside him, and he asked, "Are you absolutely sure you want this?" 

Sylvia looked at him, "Terry, please. I need to know."

Terry looked at the vial of deep red blood in the low light, dreading what he felt was to come. Deep in the pit of his stomach, he was apprehensive; but this is what was commanded of him. After a hard swallow, he went up to North-Gate's receiving tray and placed the vial inside.

The compartment retracted, and soon the voice was heard, "Synchronization complete. High Function and data repository unlocked." 

Terry was silent as he opened the data repository and then opened the file under the name "Initiation Tapes." He looked at Sylvia who looked at him with tears very near the surface, and she nodded. He typed in the maintenance control code and the files opened. They were ten files, half were video, and half were audio. 

Terry looked at Jacob, who was behind Sylvia, and he said, "Jake, comfort her. Something tells me that she'll need it more than anything in a few moments."

Jacob sat with her at a terminal as Terry pressed play.

One by one, the files played, file by file, the reasoning was laid bare. As Terry watched Sylvia, he saw her grow very sad as she began to weep openly. Usually, a very controlled young girl, she now had no control. In many ways, Terry knew fully that this was what needed to be done. But he knew what was to come; he knew the pending zeal that was now slowly given life within Sylvia's mind. He knew the name of the creature that, with each file played, was rearing its head. 

A monster is what many outsiders would call it. In many ways, it appeared unsympathetic, uncaring, and wrathful. But Terry knew more; this was an entity birthed out of pain. But more than pain, it was logic trying to understand why select things happened as they did. It was logic coming to terms with reality. The reality which Terry knew had to be contained and adequately vented. For years, not he had known the exact truth. But now, the same process within the girl he saw before him was being strengthened in him. Anthea's blood was the key, the key to the lock of the vault of so many kept secrets.

The final audio log played, and Terry watched the girl silently before him as she wept. Although within him, his heart was being torn to pieces. Soon, Sylvia lurched forward, and in a bellowing wail, her despair was truly made known. A deep guttural wail that made Terry's very hairs stand on end, a wail so utterly soaked and aggrieved in pain and sorrow that in the last seconds, Terry stopped the recording. What the child had wanted to know had been given to her. The true extent of the secrets of her existence locked with the key made of her mother's blood had been told. 

Sylvia went over to Terry and embraced him firmly. Her tears falling like rain, her arms clinging to the man who she knew and saw as her true protector. She cried her voice nearly wrecked, "Oh please, help me, Terry, oh please!"

Terry wrapped his arms around the girl, and he gently kissed her head. "You go ahead and cry, my dear child." Terry said, his voice soft and low, "You have a nice long cry." 

Sylvia spoke through her tears, "I know I made a big show about how Yolanda's uptight and sometimes I feel you're an ogre—but you do care about me!"

"Of course, we do." Terry whispered, "Shh, shh, it's alright, little one, it's alright."

Sylvia calmed slowly, feeling the warm and firm caress of Terry's hand upon her head, and soon her body was still only rising and falling by turns as she breathed. 

Sylvia pulled her head from Terry's chest, "It's like you read me when you first found me, remember? And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 

Terry spoke softly, "For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."

Sylvia nodded, "Yes, yes."

Terry looked into the child's eyes and said, "Use that pain, Sylvie. Use that pain and make beauty. I know you have it in you. Use that pain and make your dispenser of justice. Make your sentinel for in creation is the only way to overcome the destruction you have just encountered. Make it so that people need not fear for the pain you have been through, make it so that that they have hope through you. That through you, the situation is not impossible, but there is a recourse." 

Sylvia nodded, "I will. I have a vision in mind."

"Good, very good, Sylvie. Pursue it."

Terry looked at Jacob, "Jake, take her to get something to eat and make sure she gets some rest."

As Sylvia went with Jacob, Terry said, "Remember Sylvia. Remember what I read to you a few years ago. 'For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.'

Sylvia nodded and went along with Jacob. Terry looked at the ten files, and he was about to press "send" to Aelita's phone. However, at this moment, Terry paused. He hesitated because he knew this would also result in significant pain. However, the truth had to be known. But he remembered the wise words of an old friend, "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said _right now? _Does this need to be said right now by_ me?" _Terry weighed this in his mind, he considered all three with great decision. Two of the questions could wait. It needed to be said but now was not the time. It would come in time enough to say what needed to be said. Terry closed the file, and after putting North-Gate into standby, he went to his cot and lay down to sleep. 


	35. Chapter 35

_**AN: Hello, my dear readers. Well, with this whole pandemic thing going on, my academic studies have been impacted in ways which I should have seen coming. However, so busy had I been with the work that I forgot this week was spring break for me. So, I decided it best to write while I had the time and so, here you are. I hope all of you read, review, and enjoy!-Pagliacci-11  
**_

Chapter 35

It was a different time. The house was beautiful and ornate, its cupboards and refrigerators well stocked. She remembered the many people gathered at the house. Her father's many friends from work; her Uncle Paulie and his wife, Irena. She remembered how wonderful it all was. The beautiful sight of so many well-dressed people and the smell of all kinds of fantastic food from the kitchen brought back memories of that day. As pleasant as it was, Sylvia knew it was the prelude, the prelude to that horror that would happen just a couple of hours later. 

Cousin Richard had just told a hilarious joke, and she was sitting with Uncle Paulie as he was busting Richie's balls as he was his habit of doing. Sylvia never understood precisely why Paulie liked to do things that way, but it was how it was. As Sylvia sat on the couch watching all the people, she remembered Terrance heading to the door to open it as he'd seen an additional car pull up. He stood there watching the car, and then he headed out. What happened next, she remembered very distinctly. There was a loud shouting match outside between a man and a woman, and then the next thing she knew, there were four loud pops. 

Paulie moved as fast as lightning, taking her and handing her off to Richie, "Take care of little Sylvie! Take her to the basement and don't come out till' I say!" 

Richie took her in his arms and moved quickly to the basement. He put her down at the back wall and removing a brick; he pulled a section of the wall to the side, revealing her father's wine cellar. He took Sylvia gently and put her inside. 

"Richie, don't go!" Sylvia said.

Richie sighed and took out something from under his leg. It was the first time that Sylvia had seen a pistol outside of the gangster movies she had watched with her father.

"I don't want it, Richie." She said.

"Girl, take it!" he yelled, "You've got six shots. I don't come back in twenty minutes, you go out the door back there," he pointed at a small green door, "If that happens to go to Pastor David Lynch at First Presbyterian and you tell him what's happened. Repeat what I just said."

"In twenty minutes, if you don't come back, go to Pastor Lynch as Presby and tell him what happened." 

"Good girl." He headed out the main door to the cellar and closed it.

Sylvia waited for a period, which seemed an age she observed her shadow go from the center of the floor to the left side. But she dared not move. Sylvia had to wait twenty minutes, and it had only been fifteen. All the while outside, she could hear something that sounded more and more like firecrackers. Sylvia desperately wanted to join the fun. She checked her Minnie-mouse watch, three minutes left. Then the last firework went off. Admittedly she was a bit sad that she had missed the fun that was happening outside. Suddenly she heard hurried running above her. Maybe it was Richie coming to let her out. 

"Are you sure she's here?" A voice said from outside.

"Yes. She's got to be. The entrance to the cellar is somewhere." It was the voice she recognized as Aunt Anthea's.

"If it's here, we'll find it. Jacobson, Brant, Galloway, down here!" the man yelled.

Sylvia immediately called out, "Aunt Anthea! I'm here!"

She heard Anthea's voice on the other side of the door, "Sylvia, sweetie, how did you get in there?"

"Cousin Richie put me in here when the fireworks started! Please let me out, I'm scared!"

"Sweetheart, where's the handle to the cellar?"

"Cousin Richie pulled a handle behind a brick. It's in the wall."

Soon the door opened, and she saw Anthea point to her. A man in black came in and took her, and as he headed off upstairs, a balding man was with Anthea, and they followed slowly in turn. Sylvia looked around her as the man in black carried her, and what she saw made her heart sink. All around her, people from the party were lying on the floor, not moving. There were gold metal pieces all over the ground, and as she was carried, she suddenly felt the man taking her fall forward. Sylvia got out his arms before he fell entirely to the ground. 

Right near her lay Uncle Paulie. She went over to him, and she tried to desperately wake him up, but he was still a small stream of blood from his mouth. She heard a rasp, and she turned and saw Richie on the ground with blood coming out of his abdomen and shoulder. She rushed over to him, and he gestured for her gun, and she gave it to her as she'd hidden it under her shirt. Taking the pistol, he fired at the men at the door and at Anthea, especially. 

Sylvia was horrified, but Richie pushed her back towards the road, "Run!" He was able to yell but just barely. 

Sylvia began to dash down the street as fast as her little legs could carry her. She dared not look back as she heard several more pops in the distance, and at that moment, a pair of arms grabbed her. 

"No! No, let me go!" Sylvia screamed, and the woman in black moved back towards the house. 

"No, no, no!" She continued to scream and angled herself just right, and at the moment, she bit down on the agent's ear and pulled. 

The agent shrieked in pain, throwing her to the ground; she proceeded to kick Sylvia squarely in the stomach with the flat of her foot. The air was knocked out of her and Sylvia struggled to breathe, her eyes watered. As another person took her. 

"Careful, that little bitch bites!" the agent screamed as with a trembling hand, she picked up the torn piece of her ear. 

Sylvia was put in the back of a van with two agents; one of them held her head in a lock to keep her from biting.

Anthea sat in the front seat with the near balding agent, and she heard the agent ask, "Is this all of them?" 

"All the major contributors, yes. With the kid back there, it's the last critical portion of North-Gate taken care of."

"Where's my daddy!?" Sylvia yelled out.

"Shut the fuck up!" Anthea barked she then resumed her normal voice, "We'll proceed with the plan. We'll confine her to stasis and have her run the latter issues of North-Gate until we have a team together to formally act on it. We have had enough trouble already with the damage control necessary for the Lyoko Project."

Sylvia looked out the window. All of them, Uncle Paulie, Cousin Richie, her cousins, aunts, and even their domestic staff lay still, strewn all over the yard and up the walkway to the house. The van pulled out, and the beautiful home with all its beautiful people vanished on the other side of the hill. In time, the van came to a facility. Sylvia remembered how it was as the sun had just set. The sickly-sweet smell of fruit-snacks filled her nose. Sylvia was taken by one of the agents into the building before her. It was a building her father had taken her to several times before. It was where he told her one day she would have a large part to play. But now, she just wanted to go back to the way things were before this all happened. 

Amelia was taken to a sterile brown room and put into a chair. Anthea held her head still in a very firm grip, "Don't move. I don't want any more holes in your head than necessary."

Sylvia obeyed, and she wept as her beautiful platinum blonde hair was shorn from her head, and she saw it fall to the ground. However, she soon stopped her crying as with every tear that seemed to hit Anthea's hand, her grip on her neck seemed to tighten. Not wanting to be choked, she stopped. After a moment, there was a gentle hum and rumble of an engine. Sylvia tried to look behind her, but her head was kept so that she had no choice but to focus her gaze forward. 

Sylvia was still as very hot liquid was applied to her head. It had a musky smell like her father's aftershave. It was perhaps in many ways, the one comfort that she had been afforded by her captors. Then can the feeling of the steel to her head. She started to breathe a bit more quickly, but one of the men in black, a tall darker man, came forward and held her hands. He took off his sunglasses, and at that moment, Sylvia knew even then, he was trying to calm her. She could tell something else by the look of the man's eyes, that he hated what was happening that in his very nature deep within, he was fighting to suppress his emotions. Soon the sweeps of the razor were complete, and her head was dried. Anthea's grip released, and the man before her in black took her in his arms and carried her down at least two flights of stairs before coming to a room. He opened the door, and they passed through into a very dark place, the only things that Sylvia could see were the dark metal piping reflecting the water of the pools below which were used for cooling a massive engine of sorts. 

As she was set down on a bench, she saw her father. He was bloodied and bruised, his ordinarily neat and proper braided goatee a mess and all over, his right eye was swollen shut, and she could tell he was already missing a few teeth. 

She got up and ran to him, the man in black didn't even try and stop her, "Daddy, daddy, are you okay."

Johnathan wheezed, "I'm okay, Sweet-Pea. Don't worry about old daddy." However, Sylvia could tell when he saw her head, a part of his heart was breaking. He embraced her and brought her close. His beard's smell of jasmine and lavender had faded slightly choked by the repulsive iron-like smell of blood. 

"Daddy, when are we going home?" Sylvia asked.

She was pulled from John's grasp by the slightly balding man and put back on the small slab.

Anthea came forward, "It's over, John. Everything you felt your project was and everything it stood for."

John looked at her, and Sylvia could see he wanted to fight back, but the fight for some reason had left him just as quickly as it came. 

"Why did you do this?" he asked, "Why so dedicated to destroying what could help so many?"

"Don't you get it?" Anthea replied, "You were nothing more than grist for the machine. You're little more than a node, a portion producing what we desired you to produce. Now that production is done, we thank you for it. However, it needs a standby to run it in the time to come until we can utilize the manpower to implement it effectively."

"And so, you've chosen her?!" John rasped and immediately was met with a powerful blow to the face from the balding man in black.

Sylvia attempted to go forward but was held back by the darker man in black, "She's just a child! She's not at all ready for this!" John said, trying to hold back his tears, "Why would you do something so cruel to a mere child?!" 

Anthea chuckled, "Oh, as you would say, 'it's complicated.' Let's just think of this as a better form of an insurance policy. I put the brat into the machine, I keep her there for several years in stasis, I can use her connections to fine-tune what you endeavored to do with North-Gate. I've already seen what Waldo has done with projects to ensure Aelita's safety. Although your methods of sustaining your program are a bit cruder, it will achieve the same purpose. All that needs to be done is program her as secondary chief officer." 

John rasped, "It'll never work, Anthea."

"Actually, Johnny, that's where you're wrong." Anthea said as she snapped her fingers as a suitcase was brought to her, "See, I spent enough time researching your control extension program, and I figured all it needs is the proper neural interface." She snapped open the case and brought out a small electrode cap, "There are key points of the brain that are most vital." Anthea pointed to small needle elements in the back, base, and two on the sides and one in the front, "These key points are what is needed to ensure a steadfast and self-sustaining element to the North-Gate protocol. Once plugged into the brain in this way, the program will sustain your precious little girl and she will sustain the program. Her body won't fall apart partially thanks to stasis, the other part thanks to constant muscular movements throughout her body as she sleeps. This helps to reduce dystrophy until such time as we need her." 

Anthea took out a small gun, "The only thing that needs to be done is give her the proper port accesses."

John attempted to get up, but two more men in black held him, "You fucking monster! At least give her a general topical anesthetic!" 

Anthea went over to Sylvia, "Actually, John, I figured what better way to make a point that let you see this process as is?"

Taking Sylvia's head, Anthea pressed the gun to Sylvia's head and fired. The resulting shriek chilled the bones of almost every person, nearly every person, save the wielder of the gun. 

"Daddy! Daddy! Please help me!" Sylvia cried as tears streamed down her face.

John yelled, "Stop, God damn it, fucking stop!"

Another shot, another scream, "Daddy! Please!"

Anthea, moved a bit quicker this time, this time, the third port on the left side of the head, the resulting scream to John's horror made his daughter go entirely hoarse

The darker agent said, "Quickly, Anthea, she's going into shock!"

Anthea obeyed, albeit reluctantly and with the hiss of the gun, two more ports, and she was finished. John's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull as his eyes were flowing with tears, seeing his daughter, her life so precious, tortured in this way. 

"Oh, relax, John. You act like I don't have a care." Anthea said, "But I do, just not as you think."

She turned to the darker man near her, "Strip her."

The man looked at her, "Alright, but you are fucking holding her!"

Anthea rolled her eyes and gripped Sylvia's hands tightly. The man took a knife from a case and he expertly and painstakingly cut upward on the back Sylvia's shirt. He then removed her pants and underwear. But soon, he gasped, "Oh, she's pissed herself." 

"Can you blame her?" John rasped, "Look at what she fucking did to her!"

The balding man came forward with a packet of sanitation wipes from his pocket and cleaned Sylvia up.

He then took a bottle from a bag, "Hold her down because this is going to hurt her like all hell breaking look. "

"Wait, wait." The darker man said as he took off his belt and folded it for times and put it in Sylvia's mouth, "So she has something to concentrate on."

The balding man took the liquid and quickly and liberally applied it. The resulting bite all could tell was intense as the already horse voice screamed, albeit muffled and the body writhing in extreme pain. As John watched, he couldn't believe his eyes. But more than that, he couldn't take the pain that in Sylvia's eyes, begging him to help her. It was a look that would haunt him to the end. Anthea then took Sylvia and placed the cap onto her head, the gentle click of the node connection making itself known. Anthea then took Sylvia and put her into a large case, and once securing her with metal cuffs on her legs, arms, and waist, she placed a jack into the back of the cap. When this was finished, she sealed her in. 

"The worst of her personal pain is over for the moment." Anthea said, "Now, John, the thing is she won't remember what happened here. I've been into your precious system, and I've programmed for her memory to be erased when I press the button. Sylvia won't remember any of this. In many ways, that's for the best, considering all that's happening." 

John spat his blood in her face, and she wiped the droplets, and she then kicked him multiple times throughout his torso.

"Now, John, understand that we do truly appreciate what you have done for our vision. You and Waldo have done wonderfully in securing the necessary protocols and making your marvelous machines. But now comes the time where your tools are to be utilized how they were originally designed in conception. But because we cannot have simple people running around proclaiming what is at work—especially when it comes to safeguarding the people; it comes to the element of what to do with you and those like you. For me, such a method has a simple answer, but an immensely gratifying one." 

Taking a knife from her coat, Anthea began to stab repeatedly. The screams of John filled the air of the laboratory. The stabbing continued until Anthea was finished. She took the knife and dropped it through a window into a sewer drain below. Anthea looked back at Sylvia, who's eyes were beet red from crying and her face in terror and shock. But whatever cries she was attempting to scream was sealed by the chamber, her screams only heard by herself. Anthea went to a button and waved goodbye as she pressed. The cold air rushed over the child within the chamber. It was so frigid, especially to her flesh, and as much as Sylvia tried to fight, her body went into its natural response to calm, to quiet, despite the burning pain, to lull her into sleep. 

However, despite how everything seemed to be futile, despite how her screams were muffled by a casing, Sylvia was not unheard. For the saving grace of her father had prepared for this darkest of eventualities. He had programmed North-Gate to record everything from a select point of time during the day. It was at the time where the first shots were heard outside his home. North-Gate had recorded every room of the house, every action during the massacre of the house. The machine had watched over his daughter when he was being captured. It trailed every security camera, every traffic camera, every side-street to the laboratory itself. It had recorded Sylvia's haircut, the gruesome and heinous implant of the nodes, its creator's murder. 

The screams of the child, while unheard by anyone else, was heard by the machine. It had frozen the child to give her a second chance. However, it was more than just preserving Sylvia. It was acting for her preservation, the preservation of the Keeper of Peace, as was its directive. As the van drove from the house, it had spotted him, Terrance, who had barely escaped. As he crawled through the yard, the process was already in place. The ambulance was called, and the responders prepared. Terry was picked up within minutes of the police arriving. His body was undergoing surgery at the time Sylvia was being given her own.

The machine watched and heard all. More than that, it knew what was intended. It knew all too well what was meant for the future. Under protocol, it recorded all audio and video of that day. From the time the massacre had started, to the time John was murdered. It had recorded and sealed all these records behind a lock. The lock of Anthea's blood. The keys of North-Gate, much like the Keys of Lyoko, were sealed in truth between father and daughter. 

Why was Anthea's blood needed? Because Johnathan Barrow had anticipated her betrayal. He knew with a great degree of certainty what was very likely to occur, not just to him but Waldo Schaeffer as well. Anthea had played both men for fools and, in many ways, had pitted both men against each other. All to further the development of Xanadu, Lyoko, and North-Gate, respectively. Oh, how very well she had played them both. But unlike Waldo, Johnathan had a plan. A plan that was enacted from the very first shot on his lawn. The blood lock was not just an ordinary key to a lock. It was as Johnathan had designed, the very instrument of Anthea's doom. With the records being unlocked, it began North-Gate's secondary initiative, Operation Rebirth. 

As Sylvia watched these records again, she grew in anger, frustration, but more than that, hatred. She knew now the depth and reasoning as to why things were done as they were. Sylvia knew how she had ended up in that infernal casing, that glamorized coffin. Was she mad? Of course, but in a way, she was grateful. Terrance had liberated her from the casing as soon as he'd figured out what happened. With his help, Sylvia understood what he had consented to tell her, and her knowledge of the situation grew. However, as the project of North-Gate grew, as the objectives became clearer, both knew what had to be done.

Through Sylvia being the willful mistress of North-Gate, learning from the program, in time, change began. A team was painstakingly assembled, resources were gained and harnessed, a vision was slowly built. Both the system and the people knew even though there were such elements of monstrous usury, a system one day would serve as a balance. Many visions and objective goals had been instated throughout the history of North-Gate; even now, the final product was not be determined. However, one thing was assured. With Operation Rebirth initiated, a primary source of evil and society's many monsters would be ended, and in its place, North-Gate would stand like a guardian over the people.

Once Sylvia had finished with the files, the program spoke, "Commander, you now know the truth. It is your decision. Do you wish to send what you know to your sister?"

Sylvia looked over the ten files, knowing their contents fully. The materials would be painful; of that, she more than understood, but the decision had to be made. 

Sylvia spoke, "Send the files."

"Is there anything you would like to add to the files?" the program's automated voice asked.

"Yes." Sylvia replied, "Add this message: Aelita, you wanted the truth. Sit down and listen and watch. From these files, you will know the depths of a mother's love." 

"Your message has been added." The voice replied.

"Thank you. Now, send it. Then I have one final task for tonight." Sylvia said.

"How may I help you, Commander?" the program asked.

"My father left a message for my mother and me. Play them both." 

"I will play the message he has left for you first."

In her implant, John's voice began to reverberate in her mind, "Hello, my sweetest Sylvie. I know that if you are listening to this message, where you are right now is very likely not a comfortable place to be. I know there are many things you wished would have happened differently. But you need to know something. You are going to be alone for a little while. It's a period of solitude that I would never wish even on my enemies. When the isolation is ended, and the truth is revealed, you're going to be furious, and you're going to be sad. But listen, sweet Sylvie, don't let this change you. Please, hey for me, don't let this change you.

You don't need to be the warrior; that's what Terry and North-Gate are for. Promise me, please, be the righteous leader I know you will have the training to be one day. The people don't need a trudgen, they need a loving but just leader. I know what you'll think, 'But Daddy, why have mercy and care for such a vicious world? Why when they've done so much to us?' The answer, my daughter, is that they are not all monsters. In time you will find friends to become your family. Treasure them as I have treasured you. And know even though we are separated as I feel we are, do not be afraid and if you ever need to speak to me, you need only go to the house to my study where we spent so many enjoyable evenings. Goodbye, my dearest girl, I will always love you." 

Sylvia was silent as the message finished. It was the last words and memory she would ever hear from her father. To be a righteous ruler. "If only you knew what I've been through, you'd ask a job of me that's more my size." Sylvia thought. But it was what her father wanted, what he had asked her to do for him. To be a warrior, that was Terry and North-Gate's job, that was what he had also said. Sylvia sighed, the task wasn't easy, it surely was not. But it was asked she be righteous and kind. It would be very wrong to deny her father that aspect, an aspect she knew he knew existed even after all that was going to happen.

Sylvia pressed a button, "North-Gate, what is my father's message for my mother."

The computer replied, "Access to this message is reserved for your mother."

Sylvia nodded, "Very well." Sylvia looked over at Terry, sleeping on his cot, her second protector, and, in many ways, her surrogate father. She gently went over to him and saw his torso. Terry's abdomen and on his chest the four scars where the bullets had been placed. 

Gently squeezing his hand, she whispered, "Thank you, Terry." She then whispered, "Send my mother the message."

Anthea was sitting in her home, eating dinner, watching the television. Her wounds had now fully healed; the only detriment was the residual muscle pain that to her amazement still lingered. She was watching her favorite show, _Who Wants to be a Millionaire? _And having a generally good time. As the show cut to commercial, her phone rang. 

She picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

Her voice echoed back, "Hello?"

"Who is this?"

Again, it echoed.

At that moment, interference came across her television. The picture distorted and went green and then to static fuzz and then black. Anthea looked at the TV, and soon the video recordings began to play with audio. 

Anthea's eyes went wide as she tried desperately to change the channel. Channel after channel, the video would restart and play that hellish scene from all those years ago. 

Anthea spoke into the phone, "I know what you are. What do you want?"

A voice came over the line, "I know what you did to my child. Do you really think you know me and what I can do?"

Anthea's heart began to pound, "J-John? H-How?"

"How did I survive? I assure you, with difficulty. How did I plan this moment between us? With pleasure."

Anthea reached into her seat and took out her pistol and got out of view of the window, "it's not possible you're alive. There's no fucking way in hell you're fucking alive!"

"What is the old expression? Where's there's a will there's a way?"

"But how in the hell did you—" 

"That would be telling, wouldn't it? Just like you did with Waldo and me, you little whore, we have to have some secrets, don't we?" 

"Oh, so what? You're going to kill me, Johnathan?"

"Yes. As much as I want to say I'd do so with just as indifference as you killed me, that'd be hard to say with a straight face. "

"Oh, you think I'm scared. Just because you can hijack my phone and television signal? That's somehow a reason to fear you? Wow, you have gotten soft in your old age."

'You are alive because up until now, you have been allowed to live. So, you better show a bit more respect during your countdown."

"Respect? Oh, big words coming from a man too afraid to show himself. It's going to take a bit more than a few technological power tricks to get the better of me, John."

"Be that as it may, you have already helped me make my first move."

"So, what's the plan now? I know your daughter's been moved, so there is that bit of a jump you have. But there's also a lot of your old secrets that I still have."

"Quit trying to compensate by having a dick-measuring contest—I am just too old to care. But you can rest assured. I will see you and yours quite soon."

"John, it was more than easy enough to kill you the first time; you and your precious little family. What honestly makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Do you wish to know? To truly know?"

Anthea heard a tone, and a few moments felt nauseous and faint. She used her legs to steer her to her bed. She barely made it, and she fell upon the bed. Her head reeled and rocked, so powerful was her nausea, but still, Anthea couldn't vomit. She heard the music smooth and steady in its beat. 

"Give me the ring on your finger

Let me see the lines on your hand.

I can see me a tall, dark stranger, 

Giving you what you hadn't planned.

Stay awake

Look out

If you're out on a moonlit night

Be careful of the neighborhood strays.

Of a lady with long black hair

Tryin' to win you with her feminine ways.

The electric cords seemed to rack her brain, turning her sense of balance and coordination inside out. She had to get the phone away from her, but she felt paralyzed she couldn't move. Internally, Anthea felt as if she had been spun around endlessly, and her chest seemed to feel light, and her vision was fading. Mustering what remained of her strength, Anthea snapped the phone shut. At that moment, a powerful fizzing was felt in her body, and she turned her head to the side, vomiting violently in the corner. She was gasping for air, sweet lord, would this hell never end? Even with the vomit, it had only helped to negate a portion of her condition. Anthea tried with all her strength to get to the tub. Her arms felt as strong as fresh-cooked noodles, the insides of them as if they were filled with cold soda. The progress she had made was minimal, but then the phone began to ring at a higher frequency, which forced Anthea to stop, and with a gasp, she fell unconscious, sprawled out in the hallway.

In her room at Kadic, Aelita had just received the message Sylvia had sent. She only noted it because of the lateness of the hour. Aelita looked at the message and saw the video and audio files, but due to the hour, Aelita decided it best to look at them in the morning. However, she sent them ahead to Jeremy to look at so he would be up to speed when she called him tomorrow afternoon. Closing her phone, she turned up the radio gently, which was playing one of Amelia's classical music selections, and soon Aelita had drifted peacefully into sleep. 


	36. Chapter 36

_**AN: Hello, readers. I hope many of you are well and safe in this whole pandemic ordeal. I don't find it at all easy to be under quarantine. Too much time in my house drives me nuts. But still, there's nothing to do because so many stores and other locations are closed. So, I figured it was better to write than go stir-crazy. Please read, review, and enjoy. Thank you all so much for your support. -Pagliacci-11**_

Jeremy still couldn't believe his eyes as he reviewed the footage for the fourth time. He wanted to be skeptical of its contents, and yet the evidence was overwhelming. The footage had been pulled from a location's raw security feed at the time of the event back in 1994. The footage was by every extent of his analysis unaltered. It was the hard truth, indeed, the most unsettling truth that what was before him was real. 

Jeremy replayed a segment of the audio-files, "Now, John, understand that we do truly appreciate what you have done for our vision. You and Waldo have done wonderfully in securing the necessary protocols and making your marvelous machines. But now comes the time where your tools are to be utilized how they were originally designed in conception. But because we cannot have simple people running around proclaiming what is at work—especially when it comes to safeguarding the people; it comes to the element of what to do with you and those like you. For me, such a method has a simple answer, but an immensely gratifying one."

Jeremy paused the feedback, "Safeguarding the people?" he thought, "North-Gate has a similar objective, to safeguard us. But that said, considering what the program has shared with us, what are we being safeguarded from? I know now this being, this Sylvia, is a living being just as Aelita was. But why keep this portion of herself secret?"

As Jeremy thought, the phone began to ring. Jeremy checked the caller ID, and it was Aelita's new number, and he answered, "Hello, how are you." 

"Jeremy, did you see what North-Gate sent us?" Aelita asked her voice in shock.

"Yes, I did. I'm glad you sent it to me."

"Is there any way any of this footage could have been falsified?"

"I've looked through the files; I've looked at everything that was given. Aelita, the only thing that has been modified, is a refresh period which continually stored the video and audio-logs. That's the only current thing. The rest is the original video and audio recordings. It's even still in the old coding and video transcription feed from nineteen ninety-four. I had to do a few configurations to even play the videos fully." 

"So, so it's all true then?"

"Unfortunately, it seems so. Your mother used both your father and Johnathan Barrow to make two programs in the wake of Carthage. The machines, I'm honestly not sure just how they exactly factor into your mother's plan. But their importance is definitely there."

"With respect, Jeremy, I feel you're looking for an answer which is already in front of you. The answers that we have are in North-Gate's manual. It was meant to be paired with Lyoko. Even though both projects were designed separately, they easily can be linked to each other. I have a strong instinct that North-Gate when the program acquired Lyoko, it was doing its best to achieve its original objective. However, with what happened to its creator, it may have changed its primary goal a bit." 

"Fair point. A question I have, though, what are we going to do about your mother? Something tells me that if North-Gate and even Sylvia now knows the full extent of all of this, the program may already be making its move." 

"I honestly believe that if the program knows and has known all of this information, then it was just waiting for the right moment to act upon it. What becomes of my mother? In light of this evidence, it will sort itself out in due time."

"Are you feeling alright?" Jeremy asked, "I know how you wanted to reconnect with your mother. Seeing what you've seen, what are your thoughts?"

"My thoughts? I honestly don't give a fuck. She's made her bed, now she must lie in it. She lied to my father, almost would have destroyed him just as she did John Barrow. My father was able to save me and keep me safe from his own program, but more than that, he kept me safe from her. Mother left Sylvia fatherless and locked in a case for a while and killed her father right before her eyes. If John Barrow recorded all of this, then he knew what he was doing. He was having his program protect his daughter, and when the time came, I honestly feel he's given consent for the program to kill my mother. So, yeah, Jeremy, those are my thoughts. Fuck that lying cunt of woman!" 

"Your anger is justified, that's for sure," Jeremy said, albeit a bit nervously.  
"Forget my anger. I'm more concerned about what Sylvia will do, now she knows what she knows. Because honestly, Jeremy, I feel she's been pulling her punches." 

"You're not alone there. But see, I don't think she'll hurt us. She may hurt your mother and those tied to her. But that in itself would be a project even for North-Gate to undertake." 

"I don't know, Jeremy. At this point, I really don't know. Something tells me, just my gut instinct is screaming; we should just be honest with Sylvia. That we tell her about the bot that's been going through her system. Jeremy, I don't think she's going to be angry. If anything, she may be grateful for our honesty." 

"Aelita, you know that's an immense risk. Are you sure you want to take that chance?"

"Jeremy, think about what this girl can do. She blew up a studio, she put us in a digital prison as a result that only grew tighter, the more we adapted. I feel the honesty in this regard is the best thing we can possibly do." 

"If you feel sure of this, go ahead. But you realize that in revealing this bot, we lose all element of surprise if Sylvia goes haywire." 

"I've not giving away my whole hand, Jeremy. Just a portion." Aelita replied, "I'll call you back soon. "

Aelita ended the call and then taking a breath, she dialed North-Gate's Directorate the phone rang, and a voice said, "Code-In, Please." 

"I have no code, but I have a field kit given by overseer Cassius Dio," Aelita replied. 

"What was your answer to the verification question?" the voice replied.

"Mr. Puck."

"Transferring you to the Director."

Sylvia's voice was on the line, "Hello, Sister. How are you?"

"I received your files and Sylvia, I want to help you."

"It's a flattering offer, Aelita. But I thought we already were helping each other."

"We are, but there's something you should know." 

"About your bot?" Sylvia asked.

"Y-yes, how did you know?"

"Love, I know everything that comes into my system from the outside. Only you and Jeremy have the brains in the program's vicinity to make a bot with such much attention to detail. However, you are not the only one watching what I do. That is all I will say at present. So, did you call to confess that you were using your bot against me? That you are telling me now because you didn't want my full wrath, is that right?"

"Y-Yes. That's correct." Aelita said, a bit more scared than before.

"Alright, that's good. I'm glad that you're honest. I'm going to keep your bot in the system, however. I have a notion, and I know it's a sound one. In the meantime, see if you can assemble your friends. I want to give you some upgrades if you are going to be joining my army, upgrades that I know you will desperately need." 

"So, you're not mad."

"No, I'm not mad, now come on. Gather your friends and meet in the factory. Once there, I will guide you further."

"I have your word; there will be no tricks?" Aelita asked. 

"Aelita, if I were to destroy you, I assure you I wouldn't do it in whatever way your pretty little head is dreaming up."

"I'm sure you can understand my skepticism, can't you?"

"Of course. But that said, it is far more prudent to teach you what you need to be successful as you need to be prepared for what is coming. To be prepared is of greater benefit than not making the most of our recourses and be caught with our pants down."

Aelita hesitated a moment and said, "Alright. I'll see what I can do. I'll contact you when we're at the factory."

"No need. The security cameras your father installed do a splendid job of that already."

"Of course. I'll see you soon." Aelita ended the call.

After a moment of silence to gather her thoughts, Aelita called Jeremy. A few rings later, and he picked up. 

"Jeremy, I spoke to Sylvia about the bot."

"Uh-huh, and how did she take it?" Jeremy asked. 

"Jeremy, she already knew about it, but for some reason, she's keeping the bot active. She's acting on a notion that she has." 

"Interesting. Is there anything else you two talked about?"

"Yes. Sylvia wants to give us a few upgrades as she termed it. It sounds like she wants to prepare us for an impending attack."

"How does she intend to give us these upgrades?"

"She wants us to meet at the factory, and she'll give us instructions from there." 

Jeremy was silent a moment, "Aelita, this seems like a massive risk. The worst part is that if there's a reason she sees fit to change her mind and heaven forbid, keep us there, we'd be screwed over. We'll go, but I'm going to insist that one of us stay off-site as a security measure. That way, if she pulls anything, we can act as a jailbreak to get the rest of us out of the supercomputer." 

"But how can that happen without being devirtualized? Something that is required to bring us back to Earth?"

"I've instated a protocol between several key sources and the supercomputer itself. Even with North-Gate rewriting a lot of things and expanding, it left that the subroutine I programmed untouched, which is good." 

"What is the nature of the subroutine?" Aelita asked.

"I'm not going to worry you about how it works. Just know it's a method to get you out should things go pear-shaped." 

"Alright. Have you managed to get a ride to Kadic from your parents?"

"Fortunately, my mom won't be as big as a problem as I thought. Her boss has called her on a business assignment to Florence. So, I don't have to worry so much about what would happen if that weren't the case." 

"That's great. So when will you be here?"

"By tomorrow afternoon. I spoke with Yumi, and her parents have agreed to our summer get-together just so long as we don't wreck the house. You know how it is." 

"Of course. That's great. Well, Odd will likely be here around the same time as you are."

"That's good. So, if all things go as planned, we shouldn't have too much of a problem."

"Jeremy, what do you think these upgrades are that Sylvia mentioned?"

"That's the thing. It could be anyone's guess. We'll honestly have to see when we get them. Don't worry, Aelita. We'll figure this out. If Sylvia is true to her word, we shouldn't have too much to fear."

"You're right. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then. Is there anything special you'd like to eat before we go to the factory?"

"Nothing so far as I can think of. Why?"

"I've been practicing my culinary skills here and there, and I'd like to try cooking for you if that's alright?" 

"When did you find yourself with that kind of time?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, it is summer break, Jeremy. Besides, you'd be amazed at how willing Ms. Hertz was to teach me some semi-advanced basics of home economics." 

"She's a good teacher, Aelita. She's not as bad as most would paint her to be."

"I know she's just—"

"Just say it, she's a bit of a fuddy-duddy stuck in the ways her generation."

"Well, I don't wish to be as dismissive as that. But you have a point."

"But to answer your question, please, make what you feel comfortable with."

"Alright. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Anthea had just awoken from the night before. The gentle buzz of flies buzzing around her vomit first roused her, and then the smell of it hit her nostrils. She gave a sigh as she looked around her. It was honestly not as bad as she'd thought it would be. After getting up, Anthea went to her closet, and after getting a spray-bottle of bleach, she began to clean up the mess. As she cleaned, her phone rang. 

"Hello?" She asked.

"What happened to you last night?" Akiko asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"We had an op that we had to do, and you never showed, so we went in we were a bit underpowered." 

"Oh yeah, that. Well, I've had my own developments over the past few hours." 

"What exactly happened?"

"North-Gate is active. I don't know what it's going to do just yet. But it attacked me last night, and it was able to commandeer my television." 

"Okay. What exactly happened?

"We had a small discussion, and then after a moment, I challenged the program, and it sent a wave that I can only say made my life a disoriented hell for I don't know how long. I felt dizzy, nauseous, my limbs felt like they were limp noodles—it was insane for a bit." 

"What happened afterward?" Akiko asked.

"I fell asleep or was knocked unconscious, either one because I don't know."

"So, what do you propose we do? How should we treat this?"

"I say we don't pull any punches. We go back into Johnathan's data that we go back to his original testing sites and see if there's something we may have missed. The man had a talent for making hiding holes all over the place. We find what's left, and if there's nothing, we proceed with our eradication phase. We know that Lyoko is crucial to North-Gate's directive. It cannot function without it. So what we need to do is isolate Lyoko and destroy it. If we rob North-Gate of its primary analysis tools, it will set the program back in a substantial way. In the meantime, we continue with the supercomputer production as planned to nullify what North-Gate is attempting to do."

"I see. So, how do you propose we move forward with this?"

"We know where Lyoko sits because Belpois utilized forces to retrieve its components from North-Gate. We also know a major experimentation site of the program from that same extraction. My solution is simple. Move-in on the factory where Lyoko is based and move in on the experimentation site. Both will be of great value the first for nullifying a primary functioning component of North-Gate, the second we will get an idea of where we are headed based on what the program is doing in one area." 

"Very good. Alright, I'll set up the strike teams to deal with this. When do you want this done?" 

"We'll head to the factory tomorrow just after four o'clock so I can properly shut down Lyoko. We will then salvage the parts of the supercomputer to make our second supercomputer and restart Lyoko to see what developments North-Gate has made. From that point, we will see just what its planning and counteract it."

"And what of the test site that you want to look at?" 

"I'm going to wait on that for a moment, I think. What we need to do right now is see precisely just what we're dealing with. When we have Lyoko back in our possession, we may be led to an overall layout for North-Gate's own plans." 

"How many do you think we will need?" Akiko asked.

"We need to do this promptly. Assembly, let alone proper disassembly could take a substantial amount of time. Send in a requisition order for two-hundred and fifty men."

"Alright, I will. I'll see you tomorrow at four." 

Anthea closed her phone and proceeded to clean her room from last night's attack. As she cleaned, outside sat a young woman writing down what information she had eavesdropped upon, and after a moment, she activated her implant. 

"This is Vogue." She said.

"Code in, please." 

"000251846."

"Proceed."

"Eagle is closing in on the Situation Room. Repeat, Eagle is closing in on the Situation Room."

"ETA?"

"Seventeen hours."

"Host?"

"Two Eggs Benedict with a side of Hash browns."

"Noted. Continue to observe, keep your distance. When the subject has left, move in on the domicile." 

"Understood."

The girl put her notepad back in her pocket and continued with the trimming of the rosebushes nearby.

In time, Anthea came out, and the girl called out, "Hello Miss. Kragel! Having a nice day?" 

Anthea waved and approached the girl, "Hello, Madeline. How are you doing these days?"

"Oh, the usual, you know. School, work at the grocers, studies, that kind of thing. How are you?"

"I've had a bit of a rough start, but I have faith it will get better." Anthea replied, "How are your parents?"

"Mom's at work, and dad's going to work at the gas station soon. I'm just trimming the stuff here." Madelyn gestured to the roses, "It's a nice bit of therapy, that and mowing." 

"You're honestly one of the very few women I know who enjoys mowing. Ever thought about doing it as a summer job?"

"Daddy asked the same thing, and I honestly don't see why not. I mean, it's practically that time, and most are too lazy these days to mow of their own volition. Besides, plenty of elderly people in town to work for anyway." 

"See? You're already thinking ahead." Anthea replied, "It's good. It shows ambition."

Madeline nodded, "Big plans in the city today? You look quite smart."

"Office work for my tyrannical overlords of work. Being a secretary sucks, but they have a good medical and dental plan." 

"Hey, gotta' take care of the teeth. It's one of your best features." 

"Thank you." Anthea replied, "I'll be back this afternoon if you'd like to have tea."

"Sure, thanks for the invitation. Oh, been meaning to ask. Will you be coming to the football match this weekend?"

"I'm not sure myself. If my work history is any indication, it's going to be fifty-fifty. However, if I do end up being free, I'll come. I'd love to see how your team has perfected its formations." 

"It's not so much the formation that counts, it's the coordination. But I think we've done great, but perhaps I'm a touch biased." 

"We'll see this weekend," Anthea said with a smile. She checked her watch, "I'll see you this afternoon." 

Madeline nodded, "I look forward to it."

Anthea went back to her car, and as she drove away, she waved goodbye to Madeline, who waved back, and after Anthea had turned the corner of the street, Madeline listened intently. Waiting for five seconds, she then went into action. Changing out of her gardening shoes, she put on a pair of brand-new sneakers she kept for just such a purpose. Madeline took a pair of vinyl gloves and put them in her pocket. She then jogged over to Anthea's apartment door, and taking out a key, entered the building. She then approached Anthea's door and putting her gloves on, Madeline used a second key and unlocked the door and headed inside. 

The smell of bleach was heavy in the air, and Madeline immediately went to work. Going directly to Anthea's room, she used her fingers and felt slowly and methodically around. Madeline knew almost all of Anthea's hiding spots by now; she should as she had known the woman for four years. However, as she looked methodically through, she found nothing. Yet unknown to her, a camera was observing her from a snow-globe of the Great Wall of China. 

Akiko called Anthea, "You have a stranger in your home."

"No worries. Who is it?"

"Your neighbor, by all appearances." 

"I figured as much. But no worries. Even if the little lady tries to deny it, there are other ways to find her out." 

Madeline got a message through her implant, "Take the money at the top of her dresser and get out. They're onto you." 

Madeline did as she was told and quickly left the domicile. Just in time, an intense series of hives were breaking out on her arms.

"Fuck," Madeline said to herself, "she had to use bleach today of all days."

Madeline went to Anthea's dresser and took forty of the one hundred and fifty Euros and headed out.

Akiko observed this, and she made a small note on a pad of paper. 

Back at Kadic, Aelita was swimming her usual laps. It was, in a way, Aelita's sanctuary to have the pool to herself at this time of day. None to critique her form, no one to compete with. It was a fantastic bit of exercise, a pleasant bit of time to recollect herself. Aelita swam one last final lap before getting out and drying off. It was how she kept her head together in times like this. Aelita knew she had a way out, she knew Sylvia, and by extension, North-Gate wanted to help her and the rest of the team. But she knew; equally, she had to be careful. Aelita went to the shower, and as she cleaned herself from the chlorine, she felt a great deal more relieved. 

As she approached her room, she heard low arguing. It was between Amelia and someone else.

"What do you want me to do?" Amelia asked, "If you only knew how much rage I felt, how much fucking anger I felt, maybe you'd understand."

"But I do." A voice replied far softer than her own, "I know very well how you feel. Why do you feel mad?"

"Because he's such a fucking asshole! Because he believes in his heart that he's always fucking right and oh how, it's right for him to be angry and have what he wants, but the second you infringe on his territory, Oh, God, no! Get back in that fucking box. And I could handle that, I really could, if he wasn't such a self-righteous, condescending prick." 

"But you have to consider what you did to him. That's a valid reason for his skepticism, his guarded nature. And as much as you say to him you've changed, the expression, once bitten twice shy, is very true. He has a right to feel as he does, just as you do. In many ways, both of you are to blame for what is going on." 

There was silence a moment as Aelita listened, and she heard Amelia reply, "You're right. You're right. As usual." 

"You're very Machiavellian, you know?" the voice asked.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Yes. Why? Because it's exploitation and deceit."

"Yeah, but the world does it every day to some extent, why shouldn't I?"

"You are familiar, no doubt, with the whole eye for an eye concept. That's what you really want regarding Norman."

"That's not—"

"It is, it is Amelia. It is very much. It's what you want. You feel pain at Norman's rejection, at his nature of how he accuses you of using what he says against him to weasel into his life."

"Is it my fault for being the person who listens the most to conversations? All I did with the guy was listen. Listen to his complaints, his petty insecurities, all of that and suddenly, oh, when I try and help the man knowing what I now know, suddenly I'm the bad guy? I didn't weasel the information out of you, you pompous fuck, you volunteered it! You know what his problem is? What is really is? That guy has no sense of self-identity, none! How many times did I try and help him in trying to discover himself! I gave the fucker a weapon perfectly designed to him, and what does he do? Oh, suddenly I'm the manipulator once again, because I listened to him and what he wanted? Fuck him!" 

"Keep going."

"I fucking hate his wife too. I know how she feels about his educational endeavors, but guess what, I didn't weasel those details out of her either. She gave them to me, that's the best part. But she'd never admit that either; to save her own skin." Amelia sighed.

Aelita cautiously knocked on the door, Amelia replied, "Come on in."

Aelita came in, and to her astonishment, she found no second person in the room at all. She looked at Amelia and on Amelia's chest was a ventriloquist's dummy with curly blonde hair dressed in a black tank top and blue jeans with Converse Sneakers for shoes. 

"Uh, you okay?" Aelita asked.

"Hmm?" Amelia asked and looked at her, "Oh yeah, better than ever. Just having therapy."

Aelita sat down, "Uh that other person was that you?" 

"In a manner of speaking. Logic would say so as no one came out of the room before you knocked. However, to quote Mr. Carol, "We're all mad here." 

"What's the name of the dummy?" Aelita asked.

The dummy's eyes focused on her, "Hey, it takes one to know one. How are you, Maiden of Lyoko?"

Aelita's eyes went wide, and she looked at Amelia, who smiled, "Your own realm of imagination-land? If it is, you have got a frightfully active imagination." 

"What are you talking about?" Aelita asked.

The dummy spoke, "You talk in your sleep, princess. And judging by your ravings, Jeremy really Rogers your Hammerstein."

Aelita immediately blushed, and Amelia laughed, "Oh, sweetie, you blush way too easily." 

Amelia looked at the dummy and then sat up and put the article in a small trunk she kept near the base of the bed. 

"So, that therapy," Aelita asked, "was that just you exorcising your inner demons?"

"More like letting them out to play, so the pressure doesn't build too much in my mind and kills me."

"Why do you have so much hate for that person?"

"Because deep in my heart I'm petty and I don't let things go. Even though I'm told I should, it doesn't quite work out that way."

"It doesn't do you any good to dwell on how people hurt you. You simply learn from whatever mistakes existed and move on. "

"I know, I've heard it before from my guidance counselor."

"Then act on it for goodness sake. Your grudge whatever it is, no matter how right you feel, it's not going to affect the object of your grudge at all. It will only make you miserable."

"Do you have any idea how good it genuinely feels to hate something? How that hatred can turn into a vision?"

"No, because hating others is personally a waste of time and resource that can easily be used elsewhere. Besides, you're banking on a fifty-fifty hope that your pain turns to inspiration. But if you miss the boat, then you're just a spiteful girl spouting nothing but hot air."

"Are you always like this? Having an answer for everything?" Amelia asked as she looked up at the ceiling.

"It's not having an answer for everything; it's just using the common sense God gave a Billy-goat. Okay, you hate this person, big deal. If hate is your engine, then actively use it. Don't just sit there." 

"Something tells me, you don't quite understand what I'm saying."

"No, I do. But with respect, I don't have time to waste on other people's bullshit either. Either you use anger as a fuel to move forward, or you let it go. Those are your options." 

"Okay, so walk me through your thought process—"

"Stop trying to pick my brain," Aelita said, "your methods are very transparent. Look, in layman's terms, it's simple. Whatever happened, realize what happened, why it happened, and how it happened as it did. Grow yourself to either not be so much of what you were or stomach people's shit better. Because people are assholes and most are out for themselves, it's just life. Is your friend wrong for being an asshole? Sure, but you can't change him either. He's his own being and has as much free will as you. If you also are telling yourself that your Machiavellian, maybe there's more truth than you'd care to admit to what your friend accuses you of. Maybe that's your nature, your fault that you need to work on."

Amelia was silent and shifted her gaze back up at the ceiling, "The world forced you to adapt quickly, didn't it?" 

"In a manner of speaking, absolutely. I had very little time to grouse. Something I think you spend a bit too much time doing if your self-dialogue is anything to go by. I'm not trying to be an ass, but I won't tolerate a mentality like yours in my living space. I have very little for do-nothing grousers."

"I'm not a do-nothing grouser as you call them. I have my reasons for feeling as I do."

"That may well be. However, it's what you do with those feelings for the better that help to mature you and help you grow. You have talent. I know that myself. You have anger, this also I know. But talent is no good if it is not exercised and refined. Rage does no good mostly at all except for being maybe a kick when exercising. You're angry with this Norman guy? Great, go and vent it. You want to fight, I can feel it in your tone, we go to the gym and have a spar. I want you to do something with what you feel, but doing nothing; is not an option. I'm not going to have you flip out and go nuts on me when I can see the danger signs a mile off."

Amelia got up immediately, "You know what, okay, get yourself ready we'll have a spar in the gym."

Aelita sighed slightly, "Alright, let's go then."

As Amelia and Aelita headed towards the gym, Aelita prepared herself mentally for what was to come. In her mind, she thought, "Great a hot-headed prima-donna with a love of fighting. Well, it could be worse. Just remember she feels she has something to prove to you, so don't at all expect her to pull punches." They entered the gym and saw Jim near the rock wall. 

"Jim!" Aelita called out.

Jim looked at her, "Ah, Stones, Beck, how can I help you two?"

"Amelia and I want to spar. Can you oversee our setup?"

"Sure. Let me set up two of the wrestling mats, just a sec."

Jim went to go get the mats from a nearby room, and Aelita looked at Amelia. She could tell the girl was anticipating this. As if something had been boiling in her body for a long time, finally getting a vent to release itself. As Aelita saw this, she made a mental note to dodge as much as she could. She knew from Amelia's size, that to be hit by her fists would hurt like hell if she were to connect. Jim came out with two mats and two sets of boxing gloves. He set the mats down, and he then headed back to get the two helmets. 

Jim then took the gloves and laced the girls in one by one and secured their heads within the helmets. "Now, this is going to be a clean spar. That said, if I intervene, you are to stop immediately. Are we clear?" 

The girls nodded, and Jim said, "Alright, begin." 

Amelia moved forward, the speed of which shocked Aelita with how quickly she closed the distance. Her fist flew forward, and Aelita blocked and counter-punched Amelia in her stomach, but the blow didn't at all seemed to phase the girl. Amelia's foot flew to the side and clipped Aelita, which was followed a swift left-left and powerful right punch to Aelita's head. Aelita took a moment to get distance and collect herself. Amelia was far more potent than she'd thought. Even with the protection of the headpiece, the blows still very much registered. 

Aelita tried to sweep Amelia's feet, but the girl jumped and gave a powerful kick to Aelita's mid-section. The air was nearly knocked out of Aelita, but she moved just in time to dodge another incoming punch. Aelita delivered a left hook to Amelia's chin bringing the woman to the ground but only for a fraction of a second. Aelita was soon met with a sweep of her own, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. Aelita rolled quickly and punched her hardest into Amelia's abdomen. All three blows hit the girl's stomach, but it didn't seem to do much, not at all. 

"Stop focusing on the abdomen, aim for my head." Amelia said, "Too many do that, to which I do this," A powerful knee came up and struck Aelita in her stomach, genuinely knocking the wind out of her. Aelita gasped, her body slumping on the knee.

"Hold off, Beck!" Jim commanded.

Amelia removed her knee, and Aelita fell to the ground gasping for air. Jim came beside her and asked, "Are you alright?" 

Aelita continued to try and breathe, but it was harder than she thought. 

Jim looked at Amelia, "Jesus, kid, she's a beginner! You're a fucking district finalist! What the hell's your problem?!" 

Aelita got up, and with a dreadful scream, she delivered a flurry of punches first to the left then right, then a kick to the right knee, and finally a blow to the throat. 

"Fighting me on false pretenses?! Is that your game?" Aelita said as she breathed heavily.

Amelia got up, "You didn't ask my fighting history, that's on you. By the way, job on the knee."

"Fuck you!" Aelita said, "Jim, we're done."

Jim sighed, "Of course. Well, alright, then." 

Once the girls had finished their spar, Aelita headed towards the park. As she walked, she thought, "Is this my reward for trying to help people? To get the shit kicked out of me? That girl's knee was like being kicked by a horse. Damn!" The area was still red and quite sore once the pain had time to fully register. Aelita sat on the park bench, and she sighed. It's true, she didn't know genuinely how to fight. That was mostly Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi's domain. But it was something she genuinely wanted to improve in herself. The pain in her abdomen surged, and Aelita clutched the area as she gave a whimpering cry, "Fuck, this hurts!" 

Aelita got up and headed to the infirmary, and once there, she knocked on the door. Yolanda replied, "Come in." 

Aelita came in, and she said, "Miss. Yolanda, I had a broken spar with a classmate, and my stomach is killing me." 

Yolanda got up and said, "What are you feeling?"

"Oh, intense burning pain and terrible tightness." 

Yolanda nodded, "Here, lie down."

Aelita lay down on the bed, and the pain seemed to be a bit better, but only for a moment as the pain flared up again, and Aelita gently cried as it intensified. 

Yolanda seeing this said, "What happened, what led to this?"

"She kneed me in the gut. Knocked the wind right out of me."

Yolanda said, "Let me see your stomach."

Yolanda looked at the spot, and it indeed a red that seemed to grow, "How hard did she hit you?" 

"I have no clue, Miss. Yolanda, it just really hurts." 

Yolanda nodded, and after listening to Aelita's stomach, she went to her cabinets and was reaching for the traditional pain suppressants, when she saw the small vial of orange tic-tacs. She held the bottle in her hand and said, "Aelita, I'm going to give you some medicine to help. But you need to rest. No strenuous activity for a bit. You can sleep here for at least an hour." 

"Anything is better than this," Aelita said. 

Yolanda took a tac, and she looked at Aelita's file, and after a glace, she cut a quarter of the tac. She then went over to Aelita, "Suck on this, don't swallow. It'll dissolve quickly." 

Aelita took the pill fragment, and she did as instructed, "This is good. It's like candy." she said, "Getting an upgrade in medicine?" 

Yolanda smiled as she sat beside Aelita on her stool, and she held Aelita's hand, "Feel better?" 

"I feel nothing, actually. But—" Aelita stopped, and she gave short gasps, "Oh, this is so nice, the pain is—is almost gone! This is so—" her voice began to trail. Yolanda knew what this meant, and she took a blanket from nearby covering Aelita. Soon, Aelita slept, and Yolanda drew the blinds and sat back at her desk. 

Patching into her implant, she said, "Test run is complete. The subject is stable, and pain has ceased. A slightly elevated blush confirms the healing process. A quarter of a tac is all that is needed for most females of our target demographic." 

Terry replied, "Excellent, Doctor. Thank you. Keep watch until you are relieved, and then we can hang out at Beto's." 

"Will do. And Terry, I just received word, your Melanie is on her way."

"Excellent. We'll use her to replace Madelyn. The girl's been compromised and will be relocated."

"Eagle has gotten used to us; we have to adapt in turn."

"Oh, Doctor, we already have begun."


	37. Chapter 37

_**Thank you for your patience for this chapter to be completed. I took a week off in general, and then I took off for Easter weekend. But I'm happy to be back in the groove after hitting a bit of writer's block admittedly. I thank God for his help in giving me the fire and the plot to keep this writing possible. I also thank all of my readers for, without your feedback, I couldn't grow as a writer. Thank you for your continued support and your review. As always, read review and enjoy!-Pagliacci-11. **_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the song From the Outside In. All properties and profits from that song belong to Bill Hughes and all other respective owners.**_

Terrance was typing at his terminal, overseeing the final touches of Lyoko. As he was overseeing the final touches, he received a call. Yolanda was on the other end, and as he entered some last lines of code, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Our friend is being relocated. Complications arose as I'm sure you knew would come along sooner or later."

Terrance leaned back in his chair, "I'm aware. I wish it didn't have to happen this way, but such is life, unfortunately. She compromised her position, but it's not the end of the world; we do have a few more productive field assets."

"I know, but we can't afford to take these risks, exactly. You know that."

"Indeed, I do. We'll be careful in the future. Where has she been relocated?"

"Not exactly within the desired range, but it will still work for our purposes. Tell Sylvia to tone things down, we can't risk compromising the mission."

"Will do. How is the angel?""

"She's alright. She's fully recovered, and she's back in her room."

"Alright, we'll keep an eye on things from here on out. Also, we came across some troubling things lately. Eagle cannot be allowed to continue her present course. I'm going to speak with Sylvia, and we will discuss neutralization options."

"Best hurry on that front. Things are already in motion that need to be remedied sooner than later. There is something that came to mind. What about Geppetto? We could use him."

"That exactly what came to my mind. It would be easy, it would be clean, it would be silent, above all, it would be efficient for our purposes. Besides, once we explain the severity of what is approaching, we will be able to work freely."

"What do you predict to be the ETA until Geppetto is ready?"

"Once he's green-lit, it will take an approximate six hours. It will be easier once we figure out how to corral the incoming resources."

"Well, we know the numbers that are coming, so that's easier to figure out. But can we properly acclimate them as we need to, considering their volume?"

"We very easily should be able to. It all comes down to precision timing. Bear in mind that we have a set window even when utilizing Geppetto. It will take time, but in theory, if I've done my math right, we should be able to make full use of the compliment and achieve our end goal."

"Mm-hmm. What about the conversion process?"

"That's left up to our system itself, which has been suitably prepared for this eventuality. Once we start up Geppetto, it will set those directives as default and will operate until manually told to stop."

"Okay, and what of our—friends?"

"Have Emilio drive them to Site B, and we'll discuss it from there."

"Very well. What if we are compromised during that time?"

"Fallback to Protocol Six, and after that, we'll send them to the relay station where we can then send them home."

"And Eagle. What about her?"

"As I said, we will deal with her. Although in doing so, it will cause a disruption for her circuit that's to be expected. We'll take her to Faustus, and after that, keep the phantom of her alive."

"Alright. So, what would you have me do?"

"Maintain your current position, your current designation. Keep an eye on our friend, and we'll work out the kinks later. We know we have a bit of time, so we will make the most of it."

Yolanda replied, "Very well. Where will our pickup point be for our friends?"

"Near Kyoto."

"Understood." Yolanda ended the transmission.

Terrance looked through Lyoko's heart, and it was correctly calibrated. He knew that as with anything, there would be a mandatory window to prepare Geppetto, but the turnout would help in the operational department, especially in manpower. As Terrence worked at his terminal, Maria came up behind him, and seeing what he was doing, sat down beside him.

"Geppetto, huh?" she asked

Terrance nodded as he performed an overview of Lyoko, "Regrettable but in the face of a persistent foe as this, necessary. "

"I more than understand. How long have been fighting these people, Terry?"

"Long time, Marie, a long time." Terry replied as he typed in a few more lines of code, "Ever since North-Gate was started years ago. Ever since the engines were launched, we have had these people as our enemies. Soon, however, this will no longer be the case."

"And what you did to us, you will do to them?" Maria asked.

He stopped and looked at her, "No, they will not have the freedom you were given. Following the Geppetto element, we will make their crude minds amendable to our agendas and our vision."

"What about Icarus? Do we still need him?"

Terry reclined in his seat, "Not as much as we did. He would be extremely handy, without a doubt. But the need for him is not exactly mandatory at present."

Marie put her hand on Terrance's arm, "Terry, what are you going to do with Anthea? You said she'd be dealt with. The longer we let her live, the more dangerous she becomes, the more forces she can gather to her aid to stop us. What are you going to do?"

Terry turned to her, and he touched her face with his hand, "Maria, trust me. Sylvia and I have been working on this. We have a solution, a solution that more than deals with our problem."

"But Terry," Maria said, and he gently pressed his finger to her lips.

"Ssh. Maria, please trust me. We know what we're doing. We know what we're working against."

She nodded, "I just don't want a repeat of what has happened before. Surely you understand."

"Of course, I do. We have been extremely fortunate in that we have secondary restoration for ourselves. It is a one-time thing—that is why I take our operations seriously. We can't waste manpower. We're thin as it is, and I don't wish us to be thinner."

"Is there any way I can help?" Maria asked.

"You're doing just fine, don't worry. I've prepared some upgrades for you, should you want them. They'll help with your output and overall strength. I also prepared a crash course book for you to study if it suits you."

"What the book about?" Maria asked.

"The most common security systems installed throughout military and corporate holdings. They all fit a specific set of company algorithms and formats, particularly of five individual companies. Once you figure out how all of those work, you will be able to bypass and override every major security mainframe for the foreseeable duration of our mission here."

"How long do you anticipate we will be here?" Maria asked.

"Long enough to know that the information I gave you to study is pertinent to our success. Not even so much success as it is ensuring operational stability and familial comforts."

Maria got up, "What about Kaori? How does she factor into all this?"

"Kaori has her place, and she's been moving key pieces of legislation both minor and major in the realms of private enterprise. Realms that I assure you will help us in the long run."

"You know her tendencies, Terry. You know what she can do if she's not closely monitored."

Terry looked at Maria, "I'm more than aware. Everyone has eyes on them to ensure they do their part. I watch you, Amelia, Enrique, and Yolanda. Yolanda watches over Kaori and Ravin' Ricky. Sylvia watches Jacob and me, and the eyes in the sky," he pointed to North-Gate's central hub, "watches over us all. The point is that you don't have to worry that much. We have prepared for these forms of eventuality, and we know how to proceed. So please, relax. This is nothing more than ridding ourselves of some irritants."

Maria nodded, and she headed out of the room. Terry meanwhile, confirmed the finishing touches on Lyoko's alterations, and once done, he got up from his terminal and heading outside, he patched into his implant.

There were the standard directing hum and a small beep, then a voice on the other end said, "Melanie here."

"Hey, kid." Terry replied, "I have an assignment for you."

Meanwhile, Aelita was headed towards Yumi's house. She didn't go back to her dorm, mostly because she didn't want to talk to Amelia right away. She was mad enough with the girl's ruthlessness from the spar, and frankly, she just wanted to a place where there was some degree of normalcy. As Aelita approached the house, she saw Akiko approaching her car.

"Hello, Mrs. Ishiyama," Aelita called out.

Akiko nodded and waved in her direction before getting in her car. Yumi saw Aelita approach and welcomed her inside.

"How's it going?" Yumi asked.

Aelita sighed, "Honestly? Amelia's a bit of a bitch, but what can you do?"

"What happened? I thought you two were on good terms." Yumi asked as the two sat down in the living room.

"She beat the absolute shit out of me in what was supposed to be just a simple spar. She hit me so damn hard that there was a horrendous pain welling up in my guts. Thankfully, Ms. Yolanda had a medicine that fixed me up quickly."

Yumi listened and then said, "What kind of medicine?"

"I honestly don't know, and I don't care. I know only that it stopped something becoming a major problem. So—I don't care exactly how it works, just so long that it did."

"Well, that's pragmatic of you. But still, that's a unique thing. I've not heard of medicine like that before."

"Be that as it may, it works. Any word from Odd?" Aelita asked.

"Odd will be here tomorrow morning around eight in the morning or so."

"That's good. Jeremy said he agrees to what we're going to do. But he's going to stay away to activate a fail-safe if things go south."

"That makes sense considering everything going on. So, what's the plan tomorrow?" Yumi asked.

"We meet here and then go to the factory. Afterward, North-Gate will direct us to what we will do next."

"So, are we going into Lyoko?"

" Yes. At any rate, it will be interesting to see just the scale of these changes to the place. Honestly, so much has been done to the place that it will be like seeing it for the first time."

"What should Odd and I anticipate?" Yumi asked.

"From what I can tell, a one-to-one scale model of an entire Roman city if the Forest Sector's exploratory probes are any indication."

"Really?" Yumi asked her eyes wide, "They did _that _much work in so short a time?"

"Apparently so. But you must remember if the project has someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes computer coding, and 3-D modeling, it's not at all outside of the realm of plausibility."

Yumi nodded, "Well, we have quite a bit of time before we head out tomorrow, what do you want to do now that you're here?"

Aelita shrugged, "I don't know. Figured we could just hang out and shoot the breeze until dark."

"Sounds good enough to me."

Meanwhile, Anthea was finishing her workday, and as she finished filing a few requisition orders, Akiko entered. "Aelita's at my house, just thought I'd let you know."

Anthea nodded, "I'm grateful for the update."

"What's up for tonight?" Akiko asked.

"Not much, it's a quiet night. I don't foresee too much happening, at least not until tomorrow. We have the teams all set up with the secondary supercomputer on standby. All that's needed now is to shut down the original computer tomorrow and transport it."

"That quickly, huh?" Akiko said with a smile, "Who'd you have to fuck to get that done?"

Anthea looked at her, "I don't care for your insinuation. My talents go beyond just sex, I hope you know that."

"You say that, but often that's just how you get impossible things done. I'm surprised your pussy's not ground zero by this point."

"I hope for your sake that you're using the first part of your statement as a general reference and not delving into a deliberate accusation. It would not end well for you if it were the latter."

"What are you going to do, kill me?"

"Easily."

"Nah, you wouldn't kill me, you love me too much," Akiko replied.

"I appreciate you; I don't love you. There is a fundamental difference, dear."

"The story of every man in your life, huh? Appreciation—never love. It makes me wonder how you sired Aelita at all."

"Well, you see, Akiko, when a man and woman love each other very much—" Anthea began.

"Spare me. It was awkward enough the first time with my mother." Akiko said with a smile, "No, but seriously, how did you get the paperwork through to be processed in record time?"

"Sex isn't the only thing that talks. Promotions talk, promises talk, money definitely talks, and a blend of all four definitely helps."

"So, you did fuck someone?" Akiko said with a smile.

"In a manner of speaking. Not everything is bound to the physical." Anthea replied.

"Fair enough. So, what do you want me to do here?"

"Simple. Just go over the key elements of tomorrow's operation. We have a minimal window, so we must act fast. We can't risk too much exposure. Chasing Barrow around has already exposed us a bit more than I'd care to admit."

"If he was such a problem, why not just neutralize him?"

"It's not that simple, he always has a plan or a trump-card. Be it a medicine or—something else."

"Why'd you hesitate that way? What does he have that you're not telling me?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, no one would."

"Try me. We're dealing with time-altering technology and shadow games. What else could there possibly be?"

Anthea looked at her, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"I used to. But not so much anymore."

"That's why you won't believe me."

"What, you're fighting ghosts now? Do I need to call Dan Ackroyd?"

Anthea sighed, "Never mind. Just give the orders an overview. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Good evening, my alabaster Juliet," Akiko replied.

Anthea turned to her, "You are married, you know that, right?"

"That doesn't mean as much as most would think it does. I keep my options open these days." Akiko replied.

"I'm straight, you know that, right?"

"For now. I can assure you; I can be quite persuasive." Akiko said, "Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

Anthea rolled her eyes and headed out to her car. It was a more agreeable night, not so hot nor humid. She got into her car and turned on the radio. After a general surf of the stations, she felt that music was not going to be on the menu this evening for the ride home. Anthea knew she was getting extremely close. Soon, all of this, Lyoko, North-Gate, Aelita, and Sylvia would be a distant memory. In many ways, she was happy about that. It allowed her to truly start over. So immersed Anthea had been over the years, she'd nearly forgotten her purpose. She had almost forgotten who she indeed was. Anthea has here to clean up the mess by those less capable and those less willing.

It wasn't that she bore them ill will, not precisely. Anthea Schaeffer, Anthea Barrow—Anthea itself was nothing more than the sheep's skin. The skin that hid a ravenous wolf that, in many ways, was her government's first response to "cull the intellectuals." If they would not adhere to reason, if they would not submit to their desired purpose given to them by higher powers, they would be made to or neutralized. Brilliant minds come along every so often, she knew that. But many throw it all away because of that tedious little thing called conscience.

Waldo threw it away; Barrow threw it away. The memories of the two hurt, but at the same time, it was her mission, it was her job. Anthea knew there would be blow-back, that was very much anticipated. Equally, that wasn't her problem. Her mission was to obtain the information from the most promising minds birthed out of Carthage and subsequent programs. If fucking them senseless was necessary, so be it. If siring a child was required, so be it. If killing them to keep them silent forever was needed, so be it.

Anthea and her betters knew the power and promise laden within projects like Lyoko and North-Gate. The potential of the programs to cripple economies, shape people to meet a vision of subservience, control them, that was the vision of those above her. Anthea didn't complain because she did the work she was required to do, and she prospered from it. However, Anthea also knew she was not indispensable, but then only the highest form of the elite was. That said, she knew how the system worked. The common man, the everyman, was a joke. They were nothing more than serfs and slaves. Anthea knew it wasn't so much what ideology you put in place. There would be the world's designated winners and losers, rulers and slaves. It was a tale as old as time. Anthea, however, desired to be of worth to the system because to not be of use would be like everyone else. Anthea, for her part, would never settle for that. She knew too much to go back to willful ignorance; she knew how it mostly worked, and it had worked in this pattern for centuries. The only thing that ever changes is the verbiage and the faces.

In time, Anthea came back to her own secluded little suburb. As she went down the main street, she passed Madeline's house and thinking first on approaching her, she put it out of her mind. Anthea pulled into her parking spot and headed up to her apartment door. Anthea opened her mailbox, finding her check from her oversight job at a casino in the north of the city. She took this and headed inside. Anthea was curious as she tested the doorknob. It was unlocked. It seemed in her haste; Madeline forgot to lock the door. Anthea sighed, and she entered and turned on the kitchen light. Putting her coat on the back of one of the chairs near her kitchen table. Suddenly, Anthea whirled around, her pistol in hand, aiming at a young slender blonde woman who was sitting on her couch.

The blonde looked bemused gave a light smile and said, "You have good reactions, I'll give you that."

"Who the hell are you?" Anthea asked, "What are you doing in my house?"

"Not your house. Technically this is an apartment. And it's not even yours, it belongs to your man-dime Phillipe."

"Answer the question," Anthea said.

The girl sighed as she looked at her nails, "Your executioner."

Anthea smiled, "Oh, how swee—" she fired eight shots into the young girl. Two in her head, six in her torso. Anthea was breathing heavily, but to her horror, the young girl slowly stood up, waved her finger at Anthea as if taunting the woman.

"Wha—what?!" Anthea said, her eyes widening in horror. She fired four more shots, the bullets genuinely having little to no effect on the being before her.

"You have four shots left, it's not enough, sweetie." The girl replied, "Kinda' funny, your neighbors aren't making a ruckus by now."

Anthea aimed for the girl's eyes, and just as she was about to squeeze the trigger, the girl leaped the full distance in a single bound, pinning Anthea to the ground. Anthea tried as best as she could to move, but to her amazement, the girl, despite her light appearance of maybe no more than one-hundred fifteen pounds, weighed a ton.

"What are you?!" Anthea said in genuine terror.

"Not a day goes by that I don't ask myself the same question." The girl replied, looking off in genuine contemplation.

Anthea seeing a chance, tried to move her arms, but the weight of the girl was way too much. The girl looked at this attempt and sighed, "You should realize by now, that's not going to work."

"You said you're here to kill me, so kill me! Go on, Kill me!" Anthea yelled.

"I would, I really would. But there's not true justice in that. I mean, considering how you treat people, a swift death is the furthest thing from my creator's mind."

"Your creator? What the hell kind of terminology is that?" Anthea asked.

"We all have a creator. Usually, it's one's mother and father, so it would be creators, I suppose."

The tell-tale siren of an ambulance came to Anthea's attention. The girl atop her smiled, "Right on time." She got up quickly, with the grace of a dancer, pulled Anthea up with one gesture of her hand, and despite their height difference, she slammed Anthea so hard into the wall, hitting the woman's head, she fell unconscious in the girl's arms. The girl slung Anthea over her back like a sack of flour and headed outside. The ambulance stopped in front of the apartment and out stepped two men wearing balaclavas and green-lensed sunglasses. The girl laid Anthea down on the gurney, and she was securely strapped in.

The first man asked, "How's her condition?"

"She'll be out for fifteen minutes. More than enough time." The girl replied.

The second man saw the wounds on the girl, and he gave her a small balm, "Here, apply this to the wounds, it'll patch you up quicker. Go back in and sweep the brass. After that, take the gun, disassemble, and spread out its components. Once done, go to the factory; we have substantial compliment coming in in the next few hours."

The girl nodded, and one by one, she began to extract the smashed bullets from her wounds. After placing the spent shots into one of her pockets, she took the balm; she applied it to her injuries, which began to immediately heal. Once this process was done, she gave the ointment back to the second man and patiently headed back inside. The first man was scanning the frequencies in the area, "We have ten minutes before reinforcements come in."

"Let's move." The second replied, and both hoisted the gurney into the cab and drove off.

As the ambulance disappeared up the main street, communication came through the radio, "Mission status, report."

The first man adjusted the volume on the radio slightly and pressed the seek button. There was a slight soft beep before the communication response came through, "Well done. Proceed back to base."

As the first man drove, he asked his partner, "What's your reading?"

The second man checked his watch, "Ten minutes." He replied.

"Not bad. The girl knows what's she's doing; I'll give her that."

"It's no surprise, really. She's one of the most effective units we've had put into production."

"I can see why. Her resources cost a pretty penny, but it's well worth it."

"More like her resources _did _cost a pretty penny. Once we figured out the elemental properties of a lot of her components, we were able to duplicate them for materialization. We can make an army of units like her now. It wasn't nearly so easy when she first rolled off our presses. That's why Terry keeps her operating as she does. She's the original model with updated CPU and combat chassis and all that goes with it."

"I'll say this much though, man; the model we just saw is a far cry from the labor force units back home."

"Yeah, that's kinda' the point. Melanie is based off the original labor force unit blended with the street-control variant. Terry made a lot of progressive changes with this one. She's basically his mechanized child in a way. He fused the properties of the endurance of the street variant with the raw physical strength applications of the labor force model."

"Why not just utilize one of the more militarized variants from back home? Those things were gorgeous in terms of applications, versatility, durability, and CPU."

"Terry worked with what he could obtain. The labor-force and street-control variants were the only ones he has the greatest ease of access to. Believe me, that wasn't a bad thing considering his clearance at the time. The specs of the military model, particularly the Trask model, was very highly guarded. Besides, to even commandeer one let alone try to hack it, was a nightmare due to the regularly updated software designed to keep ahead of most trends. As nice as it would have been at the time to obtain a Trask model, the hoops we'd have to go through would likely have cost us more men than the thing was worth."

"So, we operated with Melanie to at least level the playing field until we had greater resources?"

"Correct. She's done phenomenally well, and her operation record is nearly flawless. That's why we keep her around, and we don't rewrite her programming."

"As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

"Exactly. Come on, let's get back to base."

"What about Melanie? We know people are converging in that place."

"She'll be absolutely fine, don't worry. This isn't her first rodeo."

The next morning, Odd arrived around eight o'clock at the Ishiyama residence. He knocked and was received by Yumi and Aelita.

"Odd," Yumi said in surprise, "You're very early."

"Yeah, well, didn't exactly want to stay at the hotel longer than I had to, you know?" He replied. Odd looked exhausted, but at the same time, relieved.

Yumi nodded, "Come in. You can crash on the couch."

Odd drowsily entered, and Aelita asked, "Was the hotel that bad, honestly?"

"Not bad—it's just a lot of people fuck early in the morning, and it sucks that the walls are like paper."

Aelita smirked, "So, you hear every little graphic detail, huh?"

Odd groaned in disgust, "Like you wouldn't believe. The only thing that's honestly worse is listening to my parents fuck at midnight."

Aelita looked at him, shocked, "Why do they fuck at midnight?"

"I think it's because they chalk it up to a lot of us are supposed to be asleep at that point. But as of the last couple of weeks, that's been hit or miss for me. It's frankly agonizing to listen to."

Yumi gave him a blanket, "Why don't you just get ear-plugs?"

"I would, but then I wouldn't hear my alarm." Odd took the blanket, "Thanks. Oh, Aelita, why are you here so early? Don't they do bed call in the mornings anymore?"

"I was able to negotiate with Sissi to get her father to allow me a night pass," Aelita replied.

"A Faustian Bargain so young, huh? Well, it worked. What did you have to promise in return?"

"It's an easy exchange. Sissi gets me off the hook; I help tutor her in calculus."

Odd's eyebrows raised, "Forgive me, I thought you alluded to Sissi and calculus in the same sentence."

"No, I did. Apparently, she knows more than we give her credit for, which isn't a bad thing."

Odd reclined on the sofa, "Will miracles never cease? So, how's Einstein?"

Aelita sat down next to Odd, "Oh, the usual. Dead in the grave, his brain in a jar—oh, you mean Jeremy. He'll be here this afternoon."

Odd chuckled, "That's good. What about you, Yumi? What are your plans today?"

"Not much, honestly. I can't wait to see what this new Lyoko looks like."

Odd sighed, "What exactly should we be expecting?"

Aelita spoke, "It's been completely revamped and remodeled. It has taken the form of a Roman city, honestly looking like a scale model of Ancient Rome. Apart from that, I know next to nothing. I have only the ability to conduct overviews of just one sector. However, what we can anticipate in terms of the senses have been changed as well with more emphasis given to physical feeling and touch."

Odd nodded, "What else do we know?"

"Apart from that, not much at all." Aelita said, "However, we're going to get some upgrades from North-Gate itself."

"Do you know what these upgrades consist of?" Odd asked.

"No. This is a choice based on a good-faith measure. But it's also why Jeremy is staying off-site to spring us from Lyoko if North-Gate gets any ideas."

Odd nodded, "A solid contingency plan, I have to admit. it's always good to have a fail-safe, especially with an entity as mercurial as this."

Aelita hesitated, "I'm not exactly sure about that. I don't see her as evil, not so much anymore. She's a person like you and me, a person very much in pain. The system wants vengeance, and as it was shown to me, for reasons anyone can understand. The thing is I'm somewhat afraid of just what form this vengeance will take."

Odd looked at Aelita, "Aelita, just because you understand a person's reasons and motivations for revenge, does that make their actions to avenge themselves just? Not necessarily. Because it depends on how far they take something. Who does this program have a beef with?"

"My mother."

"Okay. So, if that is the case, why not just go after your mother and leave it there?"

Aelita sighed, "Because honestly, I think it's what my mother stands for on the one hand, while on the other hand, it's the powers at large that she represents. Logically, yes, you could say that Sylvia could just stop her vengeance with my mother. But there's such a thing as ensuring people like her don't surface as readily in the future."

Odd nodded, "So, what did your mother do to her exactly?"

Aelita took her phone out, and she showed him the files. File by file, Odd visibly grew more awake and more upset. Once finished, he handed back the phone.

"It's clear enough now. I don't blame this Sylvia for being the way she is, but it still doesn't make it right, Aelita. If it is your mother that is the catalyst of all this pain, it makes the most logical sense to just end it with her. She is the one who started all this, she—"

Aelita's eyes sharpened, "She also works for a level of government that produce people like her daily. A level of government that is as just as efficient as she is. Even if Sylvia were to stop with my mother, the system wouldn't stop against her. Nor would it stop against us. My mother is more powerful than she may look. She has the connections; she has the power to kill us all. On some level, I think my mother even may have contemplated that, for the sake of convenience, if nothing else. So, in Sylvia's mind, it is better to gut and destroy the system than do away with a simple extension of the whole body."

Odd nodded, "So, you do trust Sylvia and North-Gate by extension."

"Yes. She has no real reason to lie to us. Sylvia has been through a hell of a lot more pain than I have. But at the same time, we are very much the same. Anthea would have killed my father without a second thought; of that, I have no doubt. If the murder of John Barrow is any indication, killing for her is as natural as breathing."

Odd was silent a moment, saying nothing, but in his mind, he was thinking, "_Yeah, no reason to lie. What better way to mold us to her liking than to show us the cruelty of others and not so much herself? Even Lenin had his good points, Hitler had his good points grounded in portions of truth. How can we be sure this entity isn't equally as devious? We can't." _

Yumi then said, "Aelita, I know you have your own hatred towards your mother now that you know just what kind of person she is. But, please, listen. You can't let Sylvia's pain become your own. You can't become too aligned with her. Does that make sense?"

"It's called empathy, Yumi." Aelita replied, "Empathy and sympathy for her history and how she came to be what she is today. We share a mutual person who hurt us very similarly." She sighed, "But I see your point. It doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to see her side of this."

Yumi nodded. Inside, she knew very well what realms of logic Aelita would listen to. She also knew where Aelita's mind was right now. Aelita knew she had a sister, a sister who had a similar life to her own. In this way, this feeling of phantom sorority Yumi knew would have a powerful effect on her friend. At the same time, Yumi knew she had to protect Aelita from a relationship that very quickly could be turned on its head and exploited. Was she harsh towards Sylvia? Yumi couldn't be sure. All the same, the pieces and placements of events that led to now, it still didn't ring as genial. It rang of a plan, that much was sure, but to what end, she was not certain.

Odd looked at the clock, "Going to catch up on some sleep. See you both in a couple hours."

Aelita nodded as did Yumi, and both let him sleep on the couch.

Anthea awoke. She was naked and cold, freezing, in fact. She exhaled, seeing her breath barely visible in the dim light. Anthea tried desperately to move, but her legs and her arms were firmly secured to the black metal wall. She looked around. Nothing but darkness before her, the faded outline of light a door's base. She screamed, her voice echoing off the walls advertising that this room was much larger than she could see. The scream echoed back until it resembled a form of mocking laughter. Anthea looked up, and she saw a window dimly lit from behind, but it was high up. A woman stood on the other side of the glass, her silhouette, the only distinguishable element apart from her blonde hair that was lightly illuminated by the light.

"I know you can hear me!" she screamed, "I know you can! Fucking show yourself!"

The figure slowly left the windowed partition, and Anthea hanged her head in defeat. She let out a sigh, and at that moment, her stomach growled loudly. "_It's alright." _She thought to herself, "_This is no different than the training."_

The door opened the bright light from outside, stunned her as Anthea struggled to adapt. A women's shape came out of the light. The woman was dressed in all white from her lab-coat to her pants and shoes. A mask of white rubber was on her face, and the eyes were sheathed behind lenses of maroon. The woman seized Anthea's neck with a vinyl-gloved grip. It was a grip that was quite strong, given the woman's frame.

"Hold still." The woman's altered voice said as it placed a device in Anthea's ear.

There was a small beep, and the woman looked at the device. She then released Anthea's neck, taking a notepad and began writing. The woman looked at her, up and down, and then disappeared to the left into the darkness. Anthea was a bit nervous, and then she saw the woman come back with a glass of water. The woman put the glass to Anthea's lips. Anthea refused to drink. The woman took the glass back and then delivered a powerful blow to Anthea's stomach.

Anthea gasped for air and then was met with another powerful blow to the left side of her face. Anthea looked at the woman with just a bit of fear. Once again, the glass was gently pressed to her lips. Knowing better than to refuse a second time, Anthea drank the water, and the woman before her took the glass back in time.

The woman examined the glass and said, "You'll get a glass of water every two hours. You won't have solid food until tomorrow morning. Do you have any questions?"

"Why am I here? What do you want?" Anthea asked.

"You were told we'd find you eventually. That answers the question of why. As for what we want—justice. But I can assure you it is justice tempered with mercy. Something you are quite alien to if our analysis of you is any indication."

"Analysis," Anthea smirked, "that's cute. Alright, tell me, who's your handler?"

The woman looked at her, "Handler? I have none. I operate under specific directives."

"Oh, come now, you must have some idea who you answer to." Anthea replied, "At any rate, I wish to speak to your operational overseer."

"You're speaking to her. What do you want?" The woman asked as she checked her watch.

"Seriously, why am I here? Who the fuck are you people?" Anthea asked with a bit of an angered edge to her voice.

"Save your anger. It will do you no good at present. As for why you are here, you have already been told. Who are we? Firstly, there is no we. There is only I. Second, I am simply you just on the other side of the manacles."

"Me? How are you _me_?" Anthea asked.

"I'm surprised you forgot. All your time paying attention to your masters, scheming ever-closer to targets for the sake of your 'duty,' and you forget what made you? It's a pity, Captain, you usually had such a level head on you. Maybe you got too comfortable in your civilian life, but you are just like the rest of us. Soon, you'll remember, Captain. Hopefully, for your sake, it's not too late."

"Stop that! Why do you keep calling me that?" Anthea asked.

"That was your original title, Anthea. Back when you and I met a little over twenty-five years ago. You wore the black and silver uniform back in those days."

Anthea's thought for a moment. Twenty-five years ago, it was a very long time ago. Long before any of her deep cover elements had begun. A black and silver uniform, what was the woman talking about? Anthea looked at the woman, "What are you talking about?"

"It's sad you've forgotten. No matter. You'll remember in due time." The woman turned to head out the door, and then she stopped. Looking to the left, the woman headed into the darkness, and a click was heard.

The woman silently headed towards the door, "If you must piss, just piss. There's a drain under your feet."

The woman went through the door and closed it gently behind her. Soon a melancholic tune began to play through speakers hidden in the room. It was sad and mournful, but somehow, Anthea remembered the song.

How young our love was

Time came between us

And soon we were looking from

The outside in

Two lonely strangers

Lost in the mirror

Of watching their life go by

From the outside in

The city lights were burning

The distant stars were turning

When fate took you like the wind

To never come again

Now only time between us

And only dreams we dream of

Away from the life it's been

Here from the outside in

How long will I be

Here at this window

A stranger who sees you from

The outside in

Looking so slowly

Into the lonely

Lost shadow of life gone by

From the outside in

How long our love was

Time came between us

Looking from the outside in

That afternoon, Jeremy arrived at Yumi's house. He was warmly received by the group, and once he had a small computer station set up in the house, Jeremy asked for a rundown of the plan.

"Well, it's pretty straightforward," Aelita said. "We go to the factory, and Sylvia said she'd guide us along the process from there. You said you would stay here as a secondary means of escape should we become compromised by Sylvia."

Jeremy nodded, "Alright if this goes as we anticipate, we should have a much clearer idea of what we're dealing with both on the North-Gate front as well as what it's main objectives are."

"And if Yumi's parents arrive back home before we finish, what then?" Odd asked.

"I'll explain that you all went out to a movie, and Aelita went to a gas station for a drink or something like that," Jeremy replied.

"Why didn't you go with us?" Odd asked.

"The movies weren't that interesting to me," Jeremy replied.

"Sounds logical." Odd replied, "Alright. Let's get going."

Aelita nodded, "I'll call Sylvia and let her know we're on the way."

The group headed out, and Jeremy logged into the supercomputer to prepare his contingency plan. As they headed to the factory, the team had their own spheres of apprehension and in Yumi's case, a touch of unease. This was a significant risk, and she knew it. There was every chance they would not be able to come back out of this. However, if they were to make any form of headway with North-Gate, let alone understand it, the risk had to be taken. Odd, for his part, was ready, apprehensive sure, but he knew this was also a necessary risk.

Aelita called Sylvia, "Hello, Sylvie. We're on our way."

"_Very good. Inside the factory near the computer terminal are three touchpads. Fill out the forms and take your time as your decisions are final. Once done, head to the scanners, and we can begin."_

The group headed to the factory, and as they headed in through the main entrance, they saw that there clearly had been a few trucks there at some point earlier in the day, but they were no longer there. Heading into the factory, they saw bits and pieces of disarray as if there had been something going there. Aelita stopped in her tracks. She called Sylvia.

"Uh, sis, what happened here? Things seem to be a bit—off."

"_Never mind about that. It was a smaller issue that arose, was contained, and overcome_."

Aelita let out a small sigh as she hung up. Yumi looked at her, "What is it?"

"Something just doesn't feel right. It really doesn't." Aelita replied.

Odd looked at her, "What do you feel?"

"Something happened here. It's not good. Whatever it was, it wasn't good." Aelita said.

Aelita called Sylvia, "Sylvia, what happened. I know something happened. What happened?"

"_You want the short version or the long?" _was the response.

"Give it to me straight!" Aelita burst out angrily.

"_Most drinks are better with soda, honestly._"

"Sylvia-Anna!" Aelita replied.

"_Okay, fine._ _Your mother sent a couple of detachments to take down the supercomputer and deactivate Lyoko. We contained and neutralized the threat. That's why things are a little messy." _

"She's your mother too," Aelita replied.

"_HA! I didn't pop out of her pussy, you did. For me, she was more of an aunt from the hand of Typhon; but at this rate, it's semantics. Anyway, are we going to spend the rest of your limited afternoon quibbling about this? Or are we going to get some core lessons down?" _

Aelita sighed, "See you soon."

The group got into the lift, and as they headed down, Odd said, "Sisterly love, nothing quite like it."

Yumi and Aelita, as if sharing a mind, said, "Shut up, Odd."

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I know exactly how you feel, Aelita. I mean, my sisters give me shit all the time."

"Your sisters aren't a potentially maniacal leader bent on new social world order, Odd."

"Pauline could be," Odd retorted, "if she took more of an interest in economics, that is."

The lift arrived at the destination, and the door opened to reveal Terry sitting at the chair. He smiled and gestured to the three tablets. Aelita looked at him warily at first and then went forward to get her tablet.

"Take your time with your selections. The choices you make are very much final." Terry replied.

"What are these selections for, John?" Aelita asked.

"It helps determine your preferences for your advancement in the North-Gate Initiative," Terry replied.

Odd was making quicker work of it than the girls, and he said, "Give the program credit, there's a lot to consider with these kinds of upgrades. All kind of units to pick from, all kinds of weapons. Why so many choices? Just curious."

Terry replied, "Sylvia wished you all to have options properly-suited to the greater elements of North-Gate. She wants you to become familiar with key tools, and what better way to become familiar with said tools than to select them yourselves?"

Aelita stopped her selection, "Question. Why so much emphasis on the internal functions of Lyoko and North-Gate?"

Terry replied, "Answer: Because you lack the proper field experience to be of genuine use on the outside. To train you all would take time, something we don't exactly have at present. We know your schedules; we know when you are available. Your operational functions are coordinated around those timeframes."

Yumi then spoke, "And classes? Did you forget those?"

"Heavens no. You're not the first students by far we've recruited. You'll see in time how this works. Now, please, make your selections. We're short on time."

Aelita and Yumi continued, and both carefully make their selections screen by screen. Once finished, Terrence took the tablet, and after plugging in a cord, the information was steadily synchronized to the Lyoko mainframe.

After he entered a few lines of code, Terry looked at the group. "Head to the scanners."

The three headed down into the scanner room and entered their own scanners. The doors closed, and Terry began typing.

His voice soon was heard in the scanners, "Scanner, Aelita; Scanner, Odd; Scanner Yumi."

The machines hummed, and soon the final word was spoken, "Virtualization."

The bodies formed, and as they dropped onto the ground, and looked around, Aelita, Yumi, and Odd were in silent shock.

"My God," Aelita said in a near whisper, "How—how, how is this possible?!"

Yumi was also at a loss for words. Finally, she found the ability to speak, "Wait, you said Ancient Rome, Aelita. This is not Ancient Rome!"

Aelita was stunned at all around her as she took it in. Odd was similarly dumbstruck. The landscape was indeed not Ancient Rome, but on the street of a very modernized cityscape, the buildings of which were very high the farther one looked to the horizon. The design of the buildings was almost otherworldly. They filled with minimalist curves all over the place from the stairwells to dominating the design of taller buildings. The street they were on was wide, but the side-streets narrow. All around them, people walked and talked. They were not simple programs. The dialogue of the people was rich and very involved from what the Lyoko warriors could hear.

"Come, Sister, come, friends." A voice said directly behind them.

They turned, and they saw Sylvia dressed in flowing white and gold. She looked radiant. "Come, we don't have much time to introduce you to the fundamentals."


	38. Chapter 38

_**AN: Dear readers, thank you so much for your continued support. This is a chapter that I am delighted to have written for your enjoyment. Read, review, and enjoy.—Pagliacci-11.  
**_

Chapter 38

The warriors followed Sylvia out of the quadrant. As they walked, they found the area they were leaving was the edge of an expansive realm of processing for the sector. It could only be described as the industrial guts of this redefined sector. As the warriors followed Sylvia up the main street, they found themselves entering a more established quadrant. The quadrant had strong evidence of being itself a firm setting for an overall residential area. There were all manner of houses on either side of the street. These homes were upon closer observation divided by road, and in that respect, every street had what could be argued a style of housing to itself.

As Odd saw this style of layout, he asked Sylvia, "So Syl, what's up with this whole division of housing style? It seems a bit strange."

Sylvia replied without looking at him, "It is part of the overall system of progression within the eyes of the State. For you see, every man and woman who enters our system will start out as the epitome of equal workers in the Industrial Sector. The housing that you see is the real differentiation in the rank of people based on their merits. Their quality of work, dedication to their work, and so forth. As they work or do not work, they are appraised for their efforts bi-monthly by the Assessment of Quality. As a result, they will move accordingly in their appropriate stations from their labors or lack thereof."

Aelita looked at the houses as they passed, "So, it's not exactly true that you're not against the Capitalist Monsters and Tyrants, you care for them in a way, but done in accordance to your spectrum of fairness."

"There are hierarchies, even in nature, that much is now clear to me. I, therefore, have decided to embrace such a hierarchy. I had to, therefore, establish much of the rules that factor into such a hierarchy. There is always someone at the base-level, that doesn't mean I don't allow them to rise through merits and contribution to the State. I, in many ways, encourage this form of ambition. For we all have that thirst to have a little bit more, a little bit better for ourselves and even humanity, if one is looking through the altruistic lens."

"So, how do you determine who is admitted into your little experiment?" Aelita asked, "How do you handle the aspect of breeding parents and families as they grow outside of your spectrum of merits?"

Sylvia replied, "There are safeguards beyond safeguards, sister dearest. You should know that now rather than later. I have a simple system for sorting those born to the families who enter the program. I have a system of education for such children in the early stages of their life. I have a system of standards that they must achieve if they are to be productive members of our new society. The whys and wherefores, as well as how are not necessarily your place to know until you cross that bridge. At which time, you will be given counsel on how to proceed."

"That not enough," Aelita said, extending her hands and making Yumi and Odd stop, "You tell us how this works, and you tell us now, or your desired protectors and furthering of your ambitions and vision end here!"

Sylvia smiled to herself before turning to face the warriors, "Very well. What would you like to know first?"

"You say you have systems in place for the children. Okay, for your educational purposes, what are they?" Yumi asked.

Sylvia replied, "That is at the discretion of the parent whose gender the child shares. For example, a mother has more sway in educational requests and training than the father if the child is a daughter and vice-versa. These options are determined by the State and change according to the needs of specific workers for specific tasks. As those in filled positions excel and are progressively elevated, more room is made for every position down the line. This, I assure you, goes all the way down the most mundane of tasks which in themselves need to be filled as every scale of progression towards mastery must have a foundation somewhere."

"And what of those who reach the zenith of their profession? What of those masters who could equal you in power and proficiency of what you do?" Odd asked.

"Unlike those of your world, I have a plan for those who reach their occupational zenith. Such people will be made to make a choice between physical power and monetary fortune. Between wisdom and knowledge."

"Bullshit! No Riddles! Just tell us!" Aelita yelled.

"I've already told you how, sister. The answer is right before you, you have heard but not listened."

Yumi nodded, "I get it. You are testing those at the top with the test; all must answer at some point. Then you treat them according to their choice. The choice between physical power to do better and personal greed. Okay, let's say that's the case, right? How do you view the answer to your own question?"

Sylvia smiled, "Smart girl. Now, to answer that question, it is simple. If one loves money more than his fellow man, one will be sent into a realm of mastery where one's sole task is to innovate to further the growth and depth of his coffers. However, in surrendering to his love money, he is no longer of worth to wield power where power matters, to give genuine impact to society and people at large. If money is his god, then ensuring the steady flow of money will be his task until the end of his days. He will have every day of his life dedicated to the gathering of it. The man who chooses power chooses wisely. No less, he will be educated on how to make sound decisions and then defend his point before his policies are accepted and in implanted into the societal body at large."

Odd nodded, "I think I get it. Those who love money, it's in your mind okay if they love it, but they won't be allowed anywhere near the decision-makers, correct?"

"Yes, exactly. Because in all truth, money does not belong anywhere near the thrones of power, not at all. Money is simply a tool, the same as when a mason uses a trowel or a painter, a brush. The man or woman who understands this has the power to transcend the shackles of your primitive world."

"You speak of transcendence like it's an actual physical thing," Aelita replied.

"In many ways, it is. It is no different than overcoming an addiction to sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. To transcend money, you must realize, in the grand scale, it only has as much worth as you give it. If people are decidedly willful to make money the lynchpin of their world, so be it, that will be their fate to be the eternal gatherers and accountants of money."

"What about those in power?" Aelita asked, "How are they held in your esteem?"

"I dare not be a fool and say the halls of power are without their own problems. I assure you, dear sister, they are. Under that same token, nothing is without fault. The halls of power have the issue of those thinking their ideas are well-thought-out, and in many cases, they are. But at the same time, very few are open to reproof. That is why there is a much-desired emphasis on not only defending one's point but also holding one's tongue when necessary. This allows the listener to process what a speaker has to say. This is harder to do for some than others, but it is by no means unachievable. It simply takes practice and, above all, patience."

"And so, money is used as a tool, or rather, that is your desire? For money to be used as a tool?" Yumi asked.

"To be used as a tool of sustainability, sure. But it should never under any circumstances become your god. But you can't help that some people are naturally like that. Why? Well, because they have seen the power that money has been given. In fact, concerning many elements of the world, money is synonymous with power, even synonymous with God. Many see it as a means to get what you want, how you want, and when you want it. Is it any fault of theirs? Not directly. However, when you are raised to understand and embrace this twisted philosophy, not just by parents but by your society, it's no wonder the commonly held view of money is warped and distorted to an insane degree."

Odd nodded, "Okay, so, to paraphrase, these warped people, even though warped still have a use to you?"

"Heavens, yes," Sylvia replied. "No human being is worthless, not at all. I realize now I cannot change everyone, nor is it my exact goal to do so. I work with what I'm given in a person. I also work with what is deemed to be their natural talents. If one has a natural propensity towards physical violence, that is alright by me, so long as he utilizes this element of himself productively for the good of all mankind. You have a ruthless maniac, for example? Okay, have him train the militias on how to fight when disarmed. If you have a man with a propensity for the killing because of his enjoyment, fine, turn him into a State executioner."

"Okay, and so for you, even if this person is a sleaze scum-bag money lender and he is ruthless is his actions to attain money, he would have a purpose in your little world?" Aelita asked.

"But of course. Simply delegate this sleaze towards the element of economic resource as an accountant, insurance manager, or government revenue worker. Tenacious and vicious as he may be, we have incessant need of such people. But they simply won't be allowed near the realms of a higher power in that field."  
"What if he doesn't want to work for you?" Odd asked.

"He'll have to make a choice of occupation eventually. No layabouts are allowed, really. Let me make it perfectly clear. If you are content working from home, great, we can set you up in a situation to do so. But you will work for us, you will be productive or be exiled."

"And those who simply don't wish to work?" Yumi asked.

"They won't be accepted into the program, simple as that. We have no need for such people. It doesn't matter if they're intelligent, or strong, or whatever. If you don't wish to work, using those qualities of which you are so proud, we know we can't make you work. However, if that is your mentality, go piss in the wind, we have no use for you."

"Okay, so what is the zenith of the economic entrepreneur?" Yumi asked, "Greed and love of money apparently have its allowance for existing, by your own admission. So, paint me a picture, what does the zenith of that aspect look like?"

"Good question. The answer is simple. You are placed in charge of a district's sector of enterprise, be it industrial, commercial, every-day commerce such as groceries, and so on. Because you love your money and you love the fulfillment it gives you, it is up to you to outperform others in your designated sector. The one who outdoes the others is given a substantial promotion to a grander quadrant of prestige and status. As this man ascends his desired ladder, he will be held to a higher standard of ethics and order. What does that mean? What worked on the lower quadrants in terms of getting ahead, won't work in the upper tiers. In many ways, it is a form of a purification process.

We know very well that this man will try all manner of skullduggery to get ahead in the upper tiers. For he was becoming accustomed to his old methods, which he was permitted to get away with before on lower levels. However, as he ascends, he will have not only State regulation but also others just as thirsty as he is. The difference? Those others have learned. Perhaps they've been there a bit longer, or whatever, but they know how to work within the legal boundaries. This new fish hasn't, but he will.

This cycle will continue to persist with higher realms of regulations. Still, for every element of management that is kept in perfect accordance, these money-lovers are given substantial earnings bonuses for every accord they keep. This learned behavior is eventually picked up in due time. Yet, to further incentivize this proper conduct, the State gives the best performers and keepers of our accords access to some of the inner workings of more significant conglomerates. These conglomerates, usually insurance firms, allow for greater access of coverage for cheaper rates, by their abiding by the mandates of the higher tiers of their profession."

Odd chuckled, "So, you're very much like a morality car-wash!" He burst out laughing, "You do for the sleazes and scammers and crooks, what planned parenthood does for pregnant women who just aren't ready for kids."

"I don't care for such a comparison, but your generalization is accurate," Sylvia said with a slight grimace.

"So, Sylvie, if what you're saying is accurate, is this across the board for all occupations?" Aelita asked.

"Yes, very much so. It is an incentive. Working with the rules given to better progress you as a person and the State as an entity."

"Yeah, morality car-wash," Odd reiterated, "You take the lowest of the low, and you gradually turn their ambition and appraisal of things on their head as you show that their old ways don't work on the higher tiers, be it regulations, or whatever."

Soon a great series of peals of a bell from far off sounded. Sylvia looked at the warriors, "We've spent enough time on these subjects. If you wish to talk about this more later, we can. However, friends, and dearest sister, we need to get you into training. I want to teach you to ensure you all are grounded in the fundamentals of your selections of class, so we have some things to work on in the future."

The warriors nodded, and Sylvia snapped her fingers, and, in a flash, the warriors found themselves in a massive training facility. All around them were various forms of soldiers waiting in groups, along the floor in critical positions were gun-turrets as well as turrets overhead.

"Nice, very nice." Odd replied, "You clearly put a lot of thought into this. So, what are these soldiers? Are they kinda' like holograms of sorts?"

"Very good, you're not wrong, Odd." Sylvia said with a smile, "In essence, yes. They are my equivalent of training drones. They can, in fact, cause damage, but I will constantly be restoring your health for the sake of training during this time together. It is also designed to help you become better acquainted with the various warrior types that I have for the system. That way, if any assets are externally compromised, you will be more than equipped to suitably deal with even the most elite guardians."

Yumi nodded, "I see, so your creations and your very aspects of Lyoko, they aren't infallible. So, are we more like a homeland security contingency?"

"Yes, Yumi, exactly. Very good." Sylvia said with a smile, "Your purpose is not so much to be warriors in the external world. You are far too valuable for such an element as that. Rather, I wished to capitalize on your familiarity with Lyoko that already existed. For you see, you all already have a highly advanced understanding of Lyoko's layout in addition to a vast understanding of the rules that govern this realm of existence. That is exactly what will benefit me as you all will provide a natural form of fully sentient security against shall we say, malicious uprising from our more external sources."

"Just how will that work, exactly?" Aelita asked.

"Well, you see, as our system becomes live and is gradually revealed to the world at large, there will be government elements that will be purely designated to stop us. The more power we gradually attain, the more the forces of the powers that be will push back as best they can. This will take many forms, to be honest. However, in the primary element to stop an entity like Lyoko or North-Gate, all manner of things will be thrown at us. Cyberized attacks: Malware, Ransomware, the list goes on. As these threats manifest themselves, they will take a semi-physical form here. I have specifically developed an algorithm to translate the nature of a virus into a raw physical element here in Lyoko. These elements are derived from the grand scale of guardians I have programmed around Lyoko. So, a virus is not one massive element, rather it is divided into categories and sub-categories. These are deliberately stained to differentiate them from friendly units."

"Oh, I see now." Yumi said, "Essentially, what this equates to is a battle of our army, your soldiers and us, against the external forces that may be."

"That is correct. The more you show your proficiency at defeating a particular class of soldiers, you will be given units all your own to command. Units designed as countermeasures against the units you can defeat."

"Sweet!" Odd said, "So, for our own caste of soldiers, can we augment them to suit more of our own personal styles of combat?"

Sylvia nodded with a smile, "That's a fascinating thought! I will make a note of that, thank you, Odd. Suffice it say, as it stands right now, you cannot exactly customize your soldiers. However, you do have complete freedom and liberty to utilize all pre-programmed functions of actions for both attack and defense for those units."

"That's awesome, honestly." Odd said, "So tell me, for our own personal weaponry and armor and that kind of thing, how do you determine who gets what?"

"Hey, Genius," Yumi replied, "Did you forget the questionnaire?"

"Now, now, Yumi," Sylvia said, gently waving her hand, "There is no need to resort to something so banal as sharp sarcasm. Yes, Odd, you did select your weaponry before you came here. However, your proven skill with the weapon you request will be weighed in the balance through your training. Your weaponry will be adjusted, as will your armor based on what I see, until we find a shoe that fits, figuratively speaking."

Odd nodded ". But let me ask you, and forgive me if this sounds a bit weird, why did you design this very extensively to be even more like a videogame? I mean, it feels even more like that than last time."

Sylvia laughed a bit, "You're forgiven. The reason why I have set it up this way is that it is honestly the closest I could come to preserving the core rules of what you know of Lyoko for the sake of familiarity. That said, it is not _exactly_ as you remember things. Because, for every defeat, you rack of up a virus or the like, unit by unit, the virus or whatever if rewritten to be sent back to where it came to wreak havoc back in its original home. However, for your part, you don't exactly have the immunity from harm that you did in the former iteration of the system."

"Wait, what?" Yumi asked a bit of anger in her voice, "What do you mean?"

"Let me explain, Ishiyama." Sylvia said, her eyes sharpening, "Before you could lose your lives and return back to earth without much harm at all. The drawback was that you could not exactly go back into the system. Well, it took time, but I have reversed that principle. You can be harmed here in the system; however, there are designated healing reserves you can take with you into battle, which will heal any damage you receive. However, you are limited to two packs per person, which can be shared. However, once those kits are spent, you will incur some minor injuries. That said, I have remedied the system to layer the pain you feel. What I mean is this will scale your injury on Earth to what caused your devirtualization. What this means is that if you face a powerful enemy and you are struck full-force by the weight of its attack, and are devirtualized, you will come back but with possibly some bruised ribs or even a crack or two in your bones. It would not be pleasant. But there are also precautions taken against that as well. Once you are patched up back out there, you can be sent back into the fray."

"Okay, so what if we don't want to come back in?" Odd asked, "What happens then?"

"Simple. Your command over your units is restored to their default programming. Or, I will take direct control in your stead and help clear out some enemies."

"Oh, okay. That's not so bad then." Odd replied.

"So, let me ask this then," Aelita asked, "You said the viruses, etc., they will take the forms of your own guardians, albeit deliberately marked. So, do they share all the same abilities of said guardians?"

Sylvia sighed, "They wouldn't be much of an alternate guardian if they didn't. The virus or whatever form it takes, it is an active threat until it is defeated and rewritten. So yeah, the forms it takes due to the algorithm is as much a threat to us as we are to it. Until it is defeated, it will remain a threat."

"Okay." Aelita said, "Now, what about reinforcements if things get a bit too much? Or hell, we just want to be doubly sure we win?"

"Okay, now that's a great question. Here is your answer. So long as we stay on home turf, meaning Lyoko or North-Gate designated servers and locations, you can utilize a call of reinforcements however many times you wish, as often as you wish. I have even deliberately placed static sentinel bots in every quadrant of every sector that will go off and alert all of you to an attack location. The bots on patrol will converge on that point, and when you arrive, you can assert direct control. However, if I were to transfer you to an enemy server, you can summon reinforcements, but you have only two viable uses for the entire team. Any more than two, and we risk exposing where one of our servers to the enemy."

Aelita nodded, "You know, that makes a lot of sense."

Sylvia nodded, saying, "I'm glad you agree. Now we have a lot of the essential questions answered, thank you for asking them. We will now assess your overall physical and combative skills. So, who would like to go first?"

Odd raised his hand, "I'll go first."

"Very good." Sylvia pressed a portion of air near her, and a holographic display came up, "Let us proceed."

For the following four hours, the warriors were extensively tested across all manner of assessment. They were given a battery of physical tests to better acclimate them to the overall verticality of the layout of the sectors. It was in the eyes of the warriors a unique and even beneficial element. This meant if they coordinated their units along with their movements as a team, they could get a vertical drop on the enemy. Also, another unforeseen benefit of this layout was that it allowed for a fantastic opportunity for flanking enemies as well as being able to hide behind viable cover. The first of these was not exactly possible in the older program of Lyoko; the second was a much-loved benefit as it provided a pinch of breathing room. However, as the warriors discovered, this very much could change based on the class of enemy that they were facing.

The various classes of soldiers they would be facing was very extensive, even by Aelita's standards. They had all manner of tools at their disposal as well as all different styles of movement speeds and ranges. As Aelita practiced both her maneuverability as well as accuracy with her designated weapon, a specialized shotgun, she was beginning to understand the importance of physical training that Jeremy had pushed a couple of years before. But she more than loved this type of combat. Why? Because on several levels, it required a higher degree of thought and concentration. The very element she had to genuinely think to outmaneuver and, in some cases, literally outpace her opponents, made the reward of victory even more fulfilling. As Aelita experimented with her chosen kit, The Technician, she found all manner of joy as she was able to blind select units by hacking them. However, this particular trait was only limited was purely programmable units. Additionally, she found that she could hack and commandeer those same units for personal control for a select duration of twenty minutes. There was a cool down, so to speak of ten minutes before another unit could be commandeered, but that was more than acceptable.

Odd, for his part, was having a more difficult time as the class of enemy he was facing was not only fast, but if he didn't concentrate his fire, he wouldn't hit one as well as he thought. At most, the guardians would get away with a graze, if that. However, he found that so long as he kept a reasonable degree of verticality as well as behind cover, Odd found he could more than reasonably deal with this "Cyber-Ninja" as he termed the unit. However, what frustrated Odd, was he learned after being knocked out a few times to avoid the ninja getting in that close because at a select distance, he was a certified dead man due to a pulse that the unit sent out once that range was met. However, thankfully he had a good assault rifle to help him keep the slippery little bastard at bay until he could get a better position. What also helped him in this regard was his selected kit of "The Infiltrator." This allowed him to scan a static bot and hide in plain sight as a copy of that bot. This not only bought time while the Cyber-Ninja hunted around for him but, when used within its time limit of ten minutes, could far more easily allow him to get the drop of the unit and kill it. However, he loved the Infiltrator's second skill set, which allowed him to be rendered invisible to the units as a whole. The best part was the function would endure even through his actions for a full twenty minutes or until he manually deactivated it.

Yumi, on her end, was finding her chosen enemy was not only fast, but his tools were extremely deadly. The unit, the Chieftain, as she called him, that was tough to overcome. Not only did the guy have a mount that he could dismount and use it as an extension of himself, but his laser lance had a vast range, even as a base weapon. What made matters worse was that the lance could send a blast across a sizeable expanse. This element of attack was so powerful that Yumi found herself reduced to a quarter of her health with every successful hit and down ten percent with every graze. Not only that, but every direct hit would leave her disoriented, which had allowed the Chieftain to get the advantage. It had taken multiple resets by Sylvia until Yumi got the hang of this unit.

However, Yumi, once she understood at least a few elements of the Chieftain's attack pattern, she utilized her own weapon. Her weapon was a specialized compound bow. It was made of an extremely light material, and the draw on it was nearly effortless. The arrows she fired had three varieties: traditional, stun, and explosive. However, this was not the plan to neutralize such a swift enemy. As soon as he got in range, Yumi activated her own kit, the Fire-Team. The equipment was an emulation of North-Gate's traditional home defense system, the Kerengar System, a set of deployable automated turrets that fired independently, or by what she could see. The benefit of these turrets was that the shots were so individually powerful it would take even the highest-armored enemy down in five shots alone if under a concentrated fire command. As the chieftain closed in, Yumi concentrated and drew back her drawstring and fired as stun arrow. The arrow flew through the air and hit the Chieftain in the chest, sending the volts coursing through him. Yumi focused on her outlier turrets, and once they had locked on the Chieftain, they fired.

To Yumi's amazement, the beast, which was the Chieftain's mount, performed a serpentine. However, if the distance was closed too soon, Yumi knew this would be for not. Yumi focused on the winding pattern of the beast, and with the loosing of her drawstring, an explosive arrow shot forward and impacted just behind the front shoulder. The resulting blast blew off the limb, sending the beast whirling onward, spinning like a gory top, throwing the chieftain into the air. Yumi saw her chance, and one after another, then a third arrow was fired at the chieftain. The Chieftain snapped out of his daze and blocked one incoming arrow, but the second and third pierced his center mass, devirtualizing him before he hit the ground.

As Sylvia watched the three, she could not help but, in many ways, be very proud of the warriors. It was clear that XANA, during their time together, had not, by any stretch, pulled his punches. The Lyoko warriors were very highly reactive and remarkably adaptive. As the assessment continued, their ability to function as a fully coherent and codependent team impressed Sylvia more than anything else. Interval by interval; enemy class by enemy class; each warrior was weighed, balanced, and assessed. They all had their skills; they all had found their sweet spot.

Odd was very much the agile striker, and by his performance, he was indeed resourceful. He knew just when to pull back if a force seemed a bit too strong or a bit too persistent. Aelita was the epitome of an energy conserver, she had the makings of a splendid guerilla. She knew when to strike hard when to pull back and make the most of her distance. Aelita's management of her resources was also a quality worthy of note. As the tests progressed, Sylvia observed Aelita's utilization of her ammunition varieties as well as her overall supplies. Aelita proved to be the epitome of conservative, making the most of a resource until it was shown to be exhausted or no longer sufficient. Yumi was aggressive but strategic. She had confidence in her strength as a warrior, and she kept a level head under mounting pressure. It was clear Yumi was the most goal-oriented of the group, not so much in the execution of the objective personally. Still, insuring on her part, the goal can be met through the safeguarding of select people and assets until such time as they were to be deployed for use.

Sylvia saw the most recent portion of the test reaching its finishing point, as very few active threats remained. Sylvia thought a moment, and looking at her control panel, she turned a few knobs and activated a few nodes. She then announced over a P.A. system, "The last test."

Odd as he finished off the last of the cyber-ninja took a breath, thinking, "It's about damn time. Any more of this and I'm going to be worn out."

Aelita hacked the last of the mechs triggering its self-destruct element and seeing Odd a bit farther off, went over to him. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm drained. How're you holding up?"  
"I'm in the same boat, honestly. These assessments are really brutal." Aelita said with a sigh.

In time, Yumi joined with the rest of the group, "Please tell me this is nearly over."

"If Darth-Aelita is saying this is the last test," Odd said with a deep breath, "I'm inclined to believe her."

Aelita slapped Odd upside the head, "Shut up, Odd. She's not Darth anything. She's just a touch misguided is all."

Odd rolled his eyes, "If you say so."

Sylvia then announced, "You all have done extremely well. This final test will test your ability to focus as a team on a core objective. Your objective is to survive and to defeat your enemies."

Sylvia then descended to the group's level, extended her hands, and began to sing, her tone was beautiful, airy, and vibrant. The Lyoko warriors braced. But, Odd didn't wish to take a chance and fired his assault rifle at Sylvia. However, the bullets were blocked by a shield that emanated from the woman's clothes. Sylvia smiled at him a smiled befitting a maniac, and she began to ascend above them. With a final triumphant high A-sharp note, energy emanated from her hands and from her feet, and it went around all of the slain. To the warrior's horror, the slain enemies before them were brought back to life.

Odd yelled, "Retreat!"

The group bolted off through the quadrants as the risen units pursued with Sylvia following slowly behind them. However, Odd saw this as he looked back, and at that moment, a plan began to formulate in his mind.

"Aelita, Yumi, split our formation! Aelita, you go to the left and then turn right after three blocks. Yumi, keep running, and when Princess branches left, you branch off the right. The plan is to run parallel to each other along different streets and converge after three blocks to meet up so we can come up with a plan. Ready?!"

The girls nodded, "Agreed!" they replied practically in unison."

"Three, two, and BREAK!"

Aelita and Yumi split from Odd as Odd took the center of the main street and continued to run. He checked the cool-down of his cloak; five seconds remained. "Perfect." Odd thought. Once the five seconds passed, Odd pressed the button, and he was rendered invisible to the pursuers. He counted the blocks as he ran, he was nearly out of breath, as the fatigue from the previous tests was beginning to set in.

"Gotta' make this count. Gotta do it fast." He thought to himself, and on the third block, he cut to the right.

Yumi was already there, and Aelita joined them soon after.

"Can you believe this?!" Yumi asked, "We go all this way, bust our asses this much, and now we're fighting freaking zombies, AGAIN!"

Aelita nodded as she caught her breath, "Look, it's not ideal, I know, but we can defeat this."

"How, Aelita? This woman can resurrect the dead no matter how many times we knock them down!" Yumi said.

Odd said after a moment, "It's simple. What is the objective of the test?"

Yumi rolled her eyes, "To survive and defeat the enemy."

"Okay, what about our enemies do we know?" Odd asked.

"They're basically the undead versions of what we just faced," Yumi replied.

"Yes, and what else?" Odd asked.

"Okay, Odd, what else is there?" Yumi asked.

"It's simple." Odd replied, becoming slightly frustrated, "Did you not see how they chased us?"

"Get to the point." Yumi burst out angrily.

"They advance, and they can pursue, but Sylvia has to stay in range. She is behind them, and she's maintaining a distance. The objective is simple, but there's a subtext to it. She wants us to work as a team, right? Why?"

Aelita nodded, "Because it's psychology. The objective is to beat our enemies. But if they are resurrected from her, by her power, they are tethered to that power. Cut that link, they all go down."

"Exactly!" Odd replied, "She knows a panicked person will logically focus on the resurrected units and take them down. However, if she can keep bringing them back, such action is a moot point. You'd be fighting to the point of exhaustion, and when it sets in, you're done. We must take down the source, i.e., her. We have the tools, we have to be smart, and we have to work together to make this happen."

Yumi nodded, "She's protected by a shield; that much is obvious, but how much of a beating can that shield take?"

Odd sighed, "It can take half a clip of my assault-rifle, we need something with definitely more punch."

Yumi nodded, "We need to know her current position, and if I can set it up, I'll position my turrets, and I have the seen the power those things have. If I can concentrate the fire, I'm sure we can have that shield punched through in no-time."

"How many turrets do you have?" Aelita asked.

"Three. I can set up three, and I can concentrate fire while one fires manually. As soon as we get that shield down, Aelita, you need to move in with that shotgun. Keep firing, and do not stop except to reload. Odd, you need to cover Aelita while she reloads."

The two nodded. "Hopefully, this works," Odd said.

Aelita nodded, "It shouldn't be too terrible. If we can punch through the shield and then cut Sylvia down; hopefully, the rest go down as well. If she is the life-source as she appears to be, we take out the generator, we take out the extensions."

"In theory, it should work directly along with those principles." Odd replied, "Let's give it a shot."

The group stealthily went along the side-streets, keeping alert with their eyes and ears. Soon enough, Odd spotted the resurrected units walking nearby. Activating his cloak, he utilized his invisibility to better study the resurrected. It was as he anticipated, there were thin, almost silken lines of code attached to their heads or torsos. He gently scaled a nearby drainpipe, making it up to the roof of a smaller apartment complex. Following the code threads, Odd saw the many threads linked to Sylvia's fingers and, for those threads not tied to her hands, were secured to her toes and others to her head. It was as he suspected; Sylvia was the life-force. Kill the puppet-master, you kill the puppets.

At that moment, Odd saw Yumi pop up on a rooftop a couple of buildings down. She looked at him, and he pointed to Sylvia. She nodded, and at that moment, a high-pitched ringing was heard. Odd and Yumi looked at each other before seeing a white circularly light emanate from Sylvia. As the circle rapidly approached, Odd looked at Yumi, and she nodded. They retreated as far back as they could to the end of their respective building's roofs. The beam continued to approach until they both stood on the absolute edge of their own roofs before the circle of light stopped and dissipated.

Yumi and Odd looked at each other, and Yumi gestured, making her hands like a bird and flapping them. Odd looked at her strangely, and then Yumi pointed to her eyes and ears and then spun in a circle. Odd nodded, getting the charade. The light was a kind of sensory radar, or at least that what it looked like. Yumi gently installed a turret before her and then began to descend the back of her building. Odd, however, stayed in his position for a moment, silently assessing the entire situation. After a few minutes, he backed up and gently descended the drainpipe to the ground. As he navigated the side-streets, Odd had a theory that he wanted to see if it had any practical application. By now, he had circled around to the upper portion of the main street and was behind Sylvia, albeit some distance away.

Yumi and Aelita soon joined him, "Alright," Yumi said under her breath, "the turrets are set up to cover three main points of contact from the left, right and behind. What now?"

Odd was silent as he observed Sylvia levitating in the air. This silence persisted for a moment or two, then he replied, "Once we start this, there's no turning back. You fire, and you keep firing. Aelita, you fire upward at your sister and keep firing as I said until empty. Yumi, where is the third turret?"

"Over there," she replied, pointing to a turret on their upper right, "Why?"

"Aelita is going to need cover-fire while she does what she has to do. You need to use the third turret to lay down suppressive fire. I'm going to get in range, and then when the time is right, I'll finish off Sylvia."

"How are you going to do that?" Aelita asked.

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Odd replied, "I'm going to go to the far corner of that building." He pointed, "Once there, I will wave my arm—and Yumi will open fire."

Odd headed out silently and quickly. Odd was very cautious as he climbed the fire-escape of the targeted building, and once atop the building, he double-checked his cloaking device to ensure it had passed its cooldown period. He gently loaded his assault rifle, and once ready, he waved his arm. At that moment, the turrets let loose a powerful and devastate twin torrents of firepower on Sylvia. Sylvia's eyes went wide as the intense firepower rapidly depleted her shield. Sylvia screamed and, with a wave of her hand, decimated one of the turrets with a fiery blast. However, Odd saw that Sylvia's shield was down as the glow around her had faded. He had to act fast and did so, aiming his assault rifle and firing directly at Sylvia's head. The bullets sent the girl flying, crashing onto the roof nearby.

Sylvia gasped as she checked her remaining health, the turrets had completely shredded her shield, and it would be a full fifteen minutes before she could deploy it. So, her protection was out. But what was worse, the attack was so sudden the threads to her resurrected guardians were dissolved. This was confirmed as the beings devirtualized right before the warriors' eyes. Sylvia had fifty percent of her overall health left; she had to make this count. Spreading her arms, majestic white wings came from her back, and she shot towards Odd at a breakneck speed. Odd fired, but he missed as Sylvia darted upward, and with a devastating kick, she sent him flying a sizeable distance. Odd flipped and was barely able to regain his footing, and he made the rough landing on a roof in the distance.

However, Sylvia turned towards Aelita and swooped down, striking Aelita squarely in the chest with the force that knocked the very air out of Aelita. Aelita was struggled to get a breath, but as she flew back, she aimed her shotgun firing first one then another shot. The buckshot of the first shot grazed Sylvia while the second was a direct hit to her chest and abdomen as Sylvia fell backward viciously somersaulting on the ground. Sylvia knew her health now down to the last twenty-fifth percent.

"Yumi! Finish her! Kill her now!" Aelita was able to scream as her body slammed through a window.

Yumi took her bow and fired explosive arrow after explosive arrow. However, every shot missed as Sylvia darted up into the sky with her wings and then descending with a speed that as Yumi tried to process it, she was taken by Sylvia high into the air. Higher and higher into the sky, the two ascended, then suddenly, Anthea flipped Yumi and locking her feet around Yumi's neck, using the girl's jaw as a footstool, Sylvia stopped her wings, beginning a screaming descent toward the ground. Odd saw this and ran as fast as he could. Yumi screamed in terror as the ground grew closer with every passing half-second, and then suddenly, the crunch of her skull on the pavement was heard. Odd stopped, frozen in shock as Yumi's body fell from Sylvia's embrace into digital dust.

The scanner opened, and Yumi stepped out, extraordinarily fatigued; her neck moderately sore, "What the hell was that?" She said, "She's fucking brutal."

Back on Lyoko, Odd gave a cry of rage, taking his rifle and opening fire, but to his amazement, Sylvia leaped with such a high degree of strength, she reached him on the room, connecting a powerful whirling snap kick with Odd's head. Odd was jarred as he flew off his feet onto his back, but he got up again.

"Alright, you crazy psychopathic bitch! Come on! No powers, no weapons, just us!" Odd said, putting his fists up.

Sylvia simply stared at him, and then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she closed the distance, delivering a devasting punch to Odd's chest. Odd gasped, and Sylvia used this movement to vault over him. Odd could barely process what was happening. He gasped in terror as Sylvia grabbed his head with both hands and, with Odd felt as he was going to indeed die. Suddenly the thunderous report of Aelita's shotgun sounded. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, BOOM. Odd saw the hands that held his hands drop with the second report of the gun.

Odd got out of the way and heard Aelita screaming as she continued to fire into the falling body of Sylvia, "DIE! DIE! GOD IN HEAVEN, FUCKING DIE!"

Odd went to Aelita and took the gun from her, and she immediately broke down crying. Odd looked at Sylvia's body, practically obliterated by buckshot. Odd regarded Aelita breathing heavily, and he knelt beside her, he saw the body of Sylvia disintegrate into dust.

Odd then heard an automated voice, "Combat Objective Complete."

Odd and Aelita immediately devirtualized, and soon the scanner doors opened. Odd Looked at Aelita, who looked as if she could collapse at any moment.

"Aelita?" he asked, and he went over to her and gently held her, "Don't worry. It's over." He said.

Aelita let out a sigh that to Odd was a telltale sign of emotional fatigue, and he helped her to the lift.

As they came to the supercomputer, they saw Terrance and Yumi. "Hey, Barrow, your Sylvia is a fucking bitch, you know that?!" Odd yelled, "Look at what she did to Aelita!"

"Aelita? Are you alright?" Yumi asked, immediately going over to her.

Terry was silent as he regarded the three. Rather than utter any kind of verbal defense, he simply opened a pad and wrote something down. Once done, he put the pad back in his pocket.

Terry then said, "Your training sequence is complete. When your friend, Ulrich Stern, reports back for the semester, he will be similarly assessed."

Odd looked at Terry, "Look, man, I don't know what all happened just now. But if this is what we're in for working for your people, count us out! You hear me?! I will not have my friend fucked in the head like this!"

He then looked at Aelita and Yumi, "Come on, guys, let's go!."

Terrance then spoke, "I saw what happened, Odd. Sylvia was not to blame this time. You want your answers? Ask your little friend there just what happened. Don't you dare get all high and mighty, you reprobate peon. Check your facts before you make your accusations." He sat back in the chair, "You may go."

Odd was about to shout back, but Yumi stopped him, "Odd, save your rage for later. Let's get Aelita home."

Odd sighed and then said, "I'll drop this for now. Tell your psycho queen that I'm watching her!"

Terry sighed, "Whatever. Tend to your friend. When she's recovered from her little stunt, then you can talk to me."

Odd turned from Terry and headed out, all the while Odd thinking, "What a fucking dick."


	39. Chapter 39

_**AN: This is a chapter that I am delighted to have written as it helped evolve various elements of the characters and plot overall. I am thankful to God for his inspiration and to my friends with whom I could discuss my inspiration to further flesh things out. I thank all of you who continue to read and review my work. It is for myself and the enjoyment of all of you that I write as I do. Thank you, once more.—Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 39

As the team headed back towards Yumi's house, Aelita was very silent. Quite a few things were going through her mind as she walked with the group down the street. At the forefront of her thoughts was what she had observed in Lyoko. How she had seen Sylvia's ruthlessness in the final test. While Odd had saved the group with his observations leading to victory, what astounded Aelita more than the push by Sylvia in the final moments, to be more specific, was the sheer ease of which she was able to kill Yumi. It was not ease of physical difficulty, but it was the mental ease and clarity of which the function was performed. And it was an observation of this mental ease; the absolute care-free willingness to shed blood which shook Aelita too her core. 

That was what she could no longer take. In many regards, Aelita genuinely aspired in her heart to help Sylvia overcome what she saw as the genuine demons of Sylvia's life. However, a troubling thought was slowly rearing its head. What if Sylvia didn't want to overcome her demons? There was a reason Sylvia had done all of this, a reason she went as far as she had. Sylvia was taking out her rage on the world at large, a world that was mostly innocent of the atrocities which birthed this monster. However, Aelita knew that because of the sheer amount of planning she was witness to in Lyoko, while Sylvia's societal concepts needed work, there would be no talking her out of her decided course of select actions. Aelita, for her part, did not believe Sylvia was beyond saving; however, at the same time, Aelita knew if she didn't tread carefully, there was every chance Sylvia would rebel. That rebellion, Aelita knew in her heart of hearts, would not only be swift but extraordinarily violent.

That was why Aelita brandished her shotgun as she did, firing continually until Odd has stopped her. Because on some level, not only was she avenging Yumi, a death that if it were real would shatter her. Aelita was emptying her own rage into an avatar of a being that she knew, despite the noblest of intentions and how it seemed she was legitimately trying, Sylvia was far closer to XANA than Aelita or Sylvia would care to admit. The saving grace was that Aelita hoped against hope that Sylvia could be reached before her anger and her darker natures consumed her entirely. In many ways, Aelita much desired to have a sister in Sylvia. Still, Aelita knew if she allowed Sylvia to become just a more humane XANA, it would not be solving anything. As Aelita thought on all of this, she looked at the rose-pink of the horizon. In many ways, Aelita knew she stood at the threshold. A threshold of either giving a helping hand in shaping what could in all reality be the protector and nurturer Aelita knew the world needed or enslaving it to and eloquent master. Aelita sighed, her mind was fried. The tension was felt in her forehead, and her jaw had been clenched tightly shut since they left the factory.

How could Aelita get through? How could she reach the human whose heart lay at the heart of the social ideal? From how Sylvia spoke, Aelita knew the girl had seen pain. However, it was beyond the cruelty of what Anthea had done; it was something born of deep hatred. A hatred that even though it was intense, Aelita could tell Sylvia was doing her utmost to channel that hatred into a form of productive good for society. How did she know? Because it was all over Sylvia's dialogue. It was the constant resurgent theme, a theme of desired equality for all. Sure, Sylvia admitted nature had a hierarchy, but what was genuinely admitted in such a statement? 

Aelita stopped, much to the surprise of Yumi and Odd. She took in a deep breath and let out a scream that was not only bone-chilling but terrifying. Yumi was about to go forward, but Odd shot out his hand, stopping her. 

"No!" He said, looking at Yumi, "She needs this, let it happen." 

The scream continued for a full two minutes, and then Aelita stopped. The dogs around the area were barking as if they were possessed. Odd gently walked forward, putting his hand on Aelita's shoulder. However, he observed that in her eyes, she, on some level, had been beaten. Her eyes were steady, staring dead ahead. 

Yumi came up beside her and gently asked, "What's going on, Aelita?"

"I—I can't figure her out." Aelita said after a moment, "I want so very much to help her, Yumi. I really, _really _do. But I don't think I can."

Yumi looked at her, "Why do you want to help her? I know you want to help her—now think, Aelita. Reason with yourself. Why do you want to help her?"

"Because in reality, Sylvia has a noble vision. She has a view that negates a lot of the things that she sees as inequality. Is she a bit extreme? Sure. Does she appear to micromanage the hell out of just a few blocks? Absolutely. But why is this exactly? Because her reasoning, I can tell go above and beyond the standard everyday cries and complaints of people. How do I know this? Because her systems are so meticulously detailed, it's clear they didn't just arise out of contemplation. On some level, they had to be realistically implemented. She's seen a lot more than she's willing to concede; otherwise, she wouldn't be nearly as dogmatic in her pursuit of this vision of hers." 

Yumi nodded, "Come on, let's get home. We can discuss this on the way." Aelita nodded.

As they walked, Yumi said, "Okay, so we know that she has experience beyond what we do. However, what is to say that this experience is more theoretical than practical? If you look at Sylvia's overall scale, her layout, her structure of society. What does it reward?"

"Proper etiquette, proper behavior." Aelita replied, "I'm not so blind that I do not see she is molding those who participate in her model of society to her standard. I get that, Yumi. However, even I can see she is far too idealistic to ensure her project has any degree of genuine sustainability. Sylvia prefers people to be sober-minded, be serious, and take the rule of law accordingly. The truth is, we all know just why that won't work." 

"And why is that, Aelita?" Yumi asked. 

"Because at the end of the day, people will be people. They will not give a shit about her standards. They may care at first out of tolerance but look at XANA himself. Why did he try all variations of things, be it attacks or monsters before bringing out the genuine big guns?" 

Yumi replied, "I fail to see just what that exactly has to do with Sylvia's societal planning."

"Oh, okay, allow me to tell you. The only reason he continued to test is the same reason Sylvia tested us in the beginning; to gauge not only how we respond to the pressure, but crucially to establish what our standards were. He sought what our personal rules and allowances were for his conduct and then went completely off the rails with his last-ditch efforts. Why do I bring this up? Honestly, because if people get indoctrinated into Sylvia's view of things, let alone the North-Gate directive—which they're both synonymous, let's be honest; those people would be destroyed with just as much indifference as we harvest eggs for our consumption."

"So, for you helping Sylvia," Odd said, "if I understand this correctly, is not so much for her direct benefit as it is the people under her?" 

"Of course! If I can rationalize with her that she needs to ease up on a few of her views, maybe her vision will be more palatable to the people of the world. I'm not saying she should give up _all _her standards; just ease up on some of them."

"Okay, good." Yumi said, "Now, pretend I'm Sylvia. What would you bring up as points of disagreement or possible points of contention later for the people?"

"Okay, here's one. Stop trying to control and micro-manage people to the point of absurdity. If you truly could roam free, I guarantee you'd probably regulate people's bowel movements to optimize water usage in other parts of your city. LET PEOPLE BE FUCKING PEOPLE! It is not that hard! Because guess what? No matter how much you try and police this little world of ours, you will _never_ get them all to follow your command. Heck, I know you have the buddings of what even I can see as a savior complex, so try this on for size. Jesus never ever forced the way of God on _anyone. _He disciplined the Pharisees; he turned over the moneychangers' tables in the temples. However, that was done out of the restoration of the natural order! So, if Jesus himself did not force the elements of his being or his aspects onto others, what makes you a lunatic with a powerful program any more justified in doing what you do?" 

Yumi nodded, "Anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm fucking sick of your diatribe of the rich having riches and the poor being neglected. It's fucking old! I would say, do something about it, but in all reality, you are attempting to do something about it, even if your policy is ass-backward. That said, stop harping on the subject. The world is not equal, the world is not fair, I know! I also know that you know, hell, we _all _know that you know. Here's another thing—just because you have a terrific socialist mindset and grasp of the concept, doesn't make you the people's champion. What _does _make you the people's champion is doing something you seem not to exactly do, _listen _to the people. You listen to the people, listen to their legitimate grievances as they state them, not in your summations. Listen to them, see what you can legitimately work on with them without compromising your vision. That is what a good leader does!"

Aelita gave a massive sigh, and seeing Yumi's house in sight, she walked quickly down the street and towards the door. Yumi, however, began to feel dizzy and strange, as if there was ginger-ale in her brain. Odd seeing this, immediately went up to her, "Yumi, are you alright?"

Yumi swerved a moment and then collected herself, "Yeah, I just felt really weird for a moment."

"Are you sick?" Odd asked.

"No, no, just…" She hesitated a moment and then she ran immediately towards her house, her gate was staggered and seemingly erratic. Yumi made it to her driveway and hurriedly went to the nearby trashcan, threw off the lid, opened a bag inside, and began to vomit violently. Aelita turned and saw this happening to Yumi, and she immediately went over to her, catching Yumi just as she began to fall over. 

"Odd, get Jeremy! Have him help us get her inside!" Aelita said.

Odd bolted into the house, and Aelita sat with Yumi, "Yumi, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She said softly as she held Yumi in her arms, letting her rest her head on her lap. Aelita felt sudden dampness at the back of Yumi's neck, her body was beginning to sweat profusely. 

"Odd, Odd, hurry!" Aelita yelled. No sooner had she said this, that she heard a sound as of running water. She looked down and saw that Yumi had urinated over herself.

Suddenly Jeremy and Odd came bolting out of the house.

"Careful, she's pissed herself," Aelita said. 

"Oh, man, what happened to her?!" Jeremy said in a state of shock.

"It doesn't matter, Einstein." Odd said, trying to remain calm, "Come on, let's get her inside." and with Aelita's help, they carried her into the house.

"Jeremy, she's sweating extremely, and she had a powerful attack of vomiting just a moment ago," Aelita said as the group laid Yumi down on the floor.

Jeremy was flustered, "What exactly happened?"

Odd replied, "She and Aelita were talking, and Aelita was venting some of the issues she had with Sylvia and all that then as Aelita was heading here, Yumi got kinda' muddled and then she just rushed to the can, threw up and well, now we're here."

Jeremy sighed, his eyes darting, as he tried to formulate a plan. He looked at Yumi, "I don't know what to do. We could call an ambulance, but under our situation, one, it would be hard to explain to her parents. Second, get a mother like Mrs. Ishiyama, and Yumi would be henpecked to where she breaks." 

"We could just explain that she had a fainting spell, some nausea, and she has the sweats. Unless it genuinely gets worse, there's no reason for panic, exactly." Odd replied. 

"But, we don't know if this will be worse or if she'll stabilize," Jeremy said. He thought a moment and looked at Aelita, "Aelita, Sylvia has repeated time and time she has specialists who look out for us to ensure we stay functioning. Call in a help order. If she genuinely is as dedicated to us being her warriors as she says, this is part of the territory, and she'd probably understand that." 

Aelita nodded and took out her phone and called the directorate extension, "Hello, Sylvia, Yumi is down with something. She just turned violently ill; she was vomiting; dizzy; there's extreme sweating, and she's pissed herself. I need your help."

Sylvia replied, "One of our specialists will be with you in three minutes. Stand by."

The call ended. Aelita looked at the two, "Three minutes." She said.

"You didn't even give her your location," Odd replied. 

"Something tells me we don't need to." Aelita replied, "She didn't ask, she must not need it." 

Jeremy said, "I'll stay here until this person arrives. It shouldn't be too bad, but then it's too early to tell."

In a minute, a car was heard to enter the driveway. The group peeked out the window and saw a woman exit wearing a white balaclava, white lab coat, white rubber gloves, and green lensed aviators. A black medical bag was in hand, and soon she knocked at the door. 

Aelita opened, and without a word, the woman entered. Surveying Yumi, she placed her bag nearby. Opening it, she took out four adhesive plastic flags, placing them in a perfect rectangle around Yumi's general proximity. The medic knelt beside Yumi, took out a small black object from her bag, inserted it into Yumi's ear, and a click was heard. The woman took out the device and wrote down the result on a notepad. She then gently opened Yumi's eyelids and looked at her eyes for a moment and wrote some more in the notebook. The group watched, and the woman performed these functions in silence. If anything, she was efficient and timely, Jeremy thought. The woman peeled back the tiniest piece of Velcro on the balaclava and took out a stethoscope. After a few moments of listening to Yumi's heart, then moved the scope to her lungs. Again, the woman listened and, once done, wrote more in the notepad. Once Yumi's blood pressure was taken, the woman looked at the notebook. 

She got up and faced the group, "Where's the vomit?" she asked, her voice cleverly altered so that the natural pitch and tone were indiscernible.

Aelita replied, "It's in the trash bin outside in one of the bags."

The woman reached quickly into her bag and took out a small plastic spoon, two tiny vials, and two little black and blue bottles. She headed immediately outside and using the spoon scooped portions of the vomit into the vials. The woman then took a tiny baggy from her pocket and placed the spoon inside, sealing it shut. Taking one of the vials and opening the black bottle, she drew the cap, which was also a dropper out of the bottle, and dropped three tiny drops into the vial. There was a slight fizzing and then nothing. The woman, once capping the black bottle, reached into her second pocket, took out a cork, and corked the vial, placing it on top of the baggy. Taking the second vial, three drops of the blue bottle were dropped inside. The contents turned a radiantly bright green, almost spring grass green. The woman once again capped the blue bottle and taking the vials and baggy, headed back into the house. Once she had put the baggy and jars into her bag, she made several jots again in her notepad. 

As she finished, she reached into her bag, taking out a tiny pillbox. Turning to the group, the woman said, "Your friend will be fine; however, I know what has happened. The adjustments made to Lyoko by the North-Gate protocol disturbed her equilibrium and caused what can only be described as a minor vertigo attack. This kind of thing happens every now and again with our designated virtual warriors. Once the proper acclimations are made to account for Ms. Ishiyama's physiological distinction, everything should be fine for her to go back into Lyoko. However, I need to get her out of her soiled clothes. After that, it will be easier for you all. After I've finished, cool her down every twenty minutes with a cold washcloth and then just let her rest. After she wakes up naturally, give her these two pills." She shook the box and put it on the nearby table, "These are stabilizers for our agents. They have been calibrated to Ms. Ishiyama's weight and height, and they will neutralize these symptoms entirely if they have not dissipated by the time she wakes up. If you have further complications, call the directorate, and we will take her to our main hospital. Or, pending severity, if you just need me back, ask for Medic Four."

The medic reached into her bag and took out an elongated X-acto knife and said, "Boys, give the woman some decency. Go upstairs until Ms. Stones tells you to come down."

The boys headed upstairs while the medic began to cut up the torso of Yumi's shirt. Aelita observed that the woman's hands were remarkably steady for her hands moved with such an elegant and expedient grace; it was astounding. 

"Ms. Stones go up to Miss. Ishiyama's room and bring me down a fresh pair of underwear as well as a loose-fitting pair of shorts; athletic shorts, anything of that nature."

Aelita nodded, and she headed upstairs while the medic continued her work. Once she had gotten Yumi a pair of underwear and a pair of light blue athletic shorts, she headed back downstairs. When Aelita got back downstairs, she saw that Yumi lay naked on the floor. The medic had in just that short time, moved that quickly. Aelita saw the clothes folded on the floor. She looked at the physician as she thoroughly wiped and cleaned Yumi's affected areas as well as wiping down her legs. Once done, she put the spent wipe into a small baggy. Taking an orange biohazard bag from her case, the medic gently put the soiled clothes and the baggy containing the wipe into the bag, securing it shut after pressing all the excess air out. 

The medic looked at Aelita, and extended her hand, gesturing for the clothes. Aelita handed the underwear and shorts over to her. Aelita watched as the medic first put the underwear on up to Yumi's mid-thigh and then proceeded to prop up Yumi's lower body with her knee, gently bouncing her body until the undergarments had been successfully secured. The same process was performed with athletic shorts. Her task finished, the medic lifted Yumi and put her on the nearby couch.

The woman headed out back to her car and came back with a large spray bottle and spritzed the entire area where Yumi was and inside the plastic flags. The smell was amazingly sweet and fresh as if blending the best citruses with a floral bouquet. At the same time, the liquid also the sharp telltale element that it was a powerful cleaner. Aelita coughed a bit.

"Don't breathe this shit in, Stones." The medic said, "A sniff is fine, but just don't take in like you would daisies in a field." Two seconds went by before the medic began rigorously and quickly scrubbing the area with a sponge then wiped it down afterward. The physician then folded the rag and put it back into her bag. 

Aelita looked at the woman, "How—how do you know how to do all of this so well?" 

The medic looked at her, not saying anything. She then looked at the clock on the wall and headed out to her car with her medical bag and the orange biohazard bag. Taking her car's fob, she pressed the button and popped the trunk, placing both biohazard and medical bags inside. The medic then came back inside. However, her hands were now in very form-fitting black rubber gloves. In her hand was a tiny scanner and began to sweep the house room by room. There was a slight whirring beep as she neared the back of the house. The medic opened the door that led to Akiko's study, and she found what she was searching for, the house security monitoring system. 

The medic sat at Yukiko's chair and plugged in a USB drive into the tower. As the system booted up, Aelita knew exactly was this layout from the USB drive was. It was a designated breach and override method. She watched the medic enter a few lines of code, and then the system completed the rest of the algorithm to breach the system. The medic pressed a small button on her own watch, which was hidden until now under her sleeve. She watched intently, and soon the ping sounded, and she stopped the watch. Taking the notepad back out, she wrote down more information and then put the notebook back in her coat. The medic then entered a few more lines of code, and once done, a countdown window began that started at three minutes. 

The medic removed the USB, got up, and turned to Aelita, "Back to the living room."

Aelita asked, "What did you—"

"I don't have time for this, Stones. Back to the living room, _now._" The medic spoke, her voice was much harsher. 

Aelita nodded and headed back to the living room. The medic was slightly behind her, having locked the door from the outside. 

The medic looked at the clock as she came back in. She then looked at Aelita, "Everything's done that I can do. The rest is up to you. Follow my instructions, and she'll be just fine." 

Aelita asked, "How do you know how to do this? How can you be this way? So calm?"

The medic replied, "The short answer, North-Gate, and its specialists taught me to be as proficient as I am. Barrow saw my skills, and I was trained by genuine masters of the field to use my skills but to also move with purpose."

Aelita shook her head, "She's a maniac, you know that, don't you?" 

The medic looked at her and replied, "Sylvia is not the monster most think. Is she a bit radical? Sure. But when you have seen what I have seen, what many of us at North-Gate have seen; the actual cruelty of the world at large, you will realize you can't exactly blame the girl for doing what she does. The thing is, many see the world a certain way because they were raised to believe the vision of a consolidated word-wide regime. When you have Sylvia and North-Gate come along, they are the ones who stand opposed to the conventional power structure many nations have revered and accepted as the norm for centuries. Is she perfect? No, not at all. But at least she's attempting something to improve things from what she's experienced." The woman looked at the clock, "Gotta' go."

Aelita said, "Her view is a mess, and it won't work; you know that, don't you?" 

The medic stopped in the doorway, "What you know; what you_ think_ you know, is just that, what you think you know. The truth is more complex and, at the same time, simple." 

The medic then left and got into the car. Aelita looked out, and she saw the plates of the car rotate to reveal entirely new plates, and then the car pulled out and headed up the street. Aelita went to the bathroom, took a washcloth, and soaked it in cold water. After wringing it out but not entirely, she placed the cloth on Yumi's head. She headed upstairs and found the boys waiting in Yumi's room. 

"How are things?" Jeremy asked

"Everything's okay," Aelita replied, "Yumi's should be alright in a bit. She's cleaned up and everything."

Odd replied, "Who was the woman?"

Aelita shrugged, "Just someone doing what they're told." She said, "She was very efficient, though, I give her that." 

Jeremy nodded, "So, what now?"

"Nothing to do now except sit and wait for Yumi to recover and for her parents to get home." Aelita replied.

Odd looked out the window, "It sure has been a day, I can say that."

Aelita nodded, "Oh, I know."

Jeremy sat down on Yumi's bed, "What all did you see? What changed on Lyoko?"

Aelita looked at Jeremy, "You didn't see us? You didn't see all that we did?"

Jeremy shook his head, "I tried getting into your bot to keep an eye on you all, and I saw your positions going through the city, but that was it."

Aelita and Odd's eyes went wide as they looked at each other, "No, there was a lot more that happened." Odd replied.

"We underwent an entire skill assessment, Jeremy." Aelita said, "It was intense, to say the least."

Jeremy arched his eyebrow, "From what I could see from the bot, there were no enemies at all on the screen. It just showed your markers moving through the city."

Aelita looked at Jeremy, "You mean, you didn't see _anything_?" her voice grew worried.

"What should I have seen?" Jeremy asked, noting the concern in her voice.

Odd said, "Let's start from the beginning."

After the two had told Jeremy all that had transpired culminating in Sylvia's defeat, Jeremy's eyes grew wide, and he was breathing uneasily. 

Jeremy got up and looked out the window, "I saw none of that. Nothing. No city like you describe, certainly no units. I saw your units disappear in due time; I didn't think anything too suspicious of it. But all that you are describing was completely invisible." 

Aelita was silent as she entered thought once again. After a moment, she said, "You realize what this means?" 

Jeremy nodded, "Yes. She's blinded your bot to any activity, be it the raw layout of Lyoko or even the units represented." He sighed, "Why would she do that?"

Odd looked at Jeremy, "Where do we stand with your escape contingency?"

Jeremy replied, "It's still active, it's still functional. It was completely untouched; there are infinitesimal changes, but nothing that would affect the program itself."

"Don't assume that." Odd said, "Double-check. Triple-check. We can never be too sure with this one."

Jeremy turned to face both his friends and said, "Unfortunately, the only way to be sure it works is to fire off a test run. In principle, in theory, it should work flawlessly. However, it needs a practical test to confirm the calculations. And in truth, to risk that, especially knowing what I know now, such a thing would be the height of folly." 

Odd nodded, "If you send us in, and it doesn't work, we can't get out."

"Exactly," Jeremy replied, "it's way too high a risk. And will not make you prisoners for the sake of a contingency plan."

Aelita sighed, "What do you propose we do?"

"Stay away from Lyoko, until we know what we are legitimately dealing with." Jeremy replied as he sat next to Aelita, "The thing is, I can't figure why she'd blind the bot."

Aelita hesitated at first and said, "Honestly? Let's ask."

Jeremy looked at her, "Why? How can we be sure she'll tell the truth?"

Aelita replied, "That's just it, we can't. However, I think I've got a fix on this girl. Odd made a very valid point. When she nearly destroyed us in the final test, her objective was simple, but it was the subtext. It got me thinking, what if _everything_ with Sylvia is just that, subtext? Heck, she literally explains things in riddles, as if she's playing a game with everyone listening. Part of me, call it gut instinct, has a strong inclination that blinding the bot is not a deliberately malicious move. If that were the case, she would have simply removed it; why allow it to remain? Maybe, just maybe, this is how she goes about improving security."

Odd lay back on Yumi's bed and said, "Walk me through this theory of yours."

Aelita smiled slightly, "Thing is, if I'm right, I think I can show you rather than explain it. I'm going to put her on speaker, I want you to listen to what is said. Say nothing unless prompted. If my theory is correct, I think I've cracked the Sylvia Enigma Machine."

Jeremy nodded, "Alright, Turing, give it your best shot."

Aelita called the North-Gate directorate, and soon Sylvia was on the other line, "Hello, Sis. Back so soon?" 

"I am. I have just a couple of questions. But before I proceed, do you mind if I put you on speaker with Odd and Jeremy? Think of it as a team meeting. If we're going to consolidate our efforts to the best of our ability, I believe it best if everyone is kept up to speed."

"That sounds fine by me, go ahead," Sylvia replied. 

Aelita pressed the speaker button, "You're on."

"Alright, what questions do you have?"

"We've established that you know there's a bot that observes Lyoko, why did you blind it?" Aelita asked.

"Are you inside?" Sylvia asked.

"Yes." Aelita said, "Why?"

"Take me outside. All of you go outside. We'll talk there." 

"Why?" Aelita asked, "Why so suddenly paranoid."

"Because where you are is not safe for what we will be discussing." 

"We can stay here, there's reason to suddenly move," Jeremy said. 

"Okay, either go outside or hang up. Because I will not have this conversation on the phone in the house."

"Why?" Aelita asked.

"Aelita, you have an option, take it outside, or end the call." Sylvia reiterated.

Jeremy tapped Aelita on the shoulder and gestured to go outside.

Aelita nodded, and she headed outside and went over to the tree in the backyard along with Jeremy. 

"Okay, I'm outside. Now, sister, will you kindly answer my question?" Aelita asked.

"Very well. The reason the bot was blinded is that in many ways, it acts as a form of bait. I know the enemies I face; I know their capability; and their resources. By blinding the bot, what they will see is exactly what Jeremy saw, nothing. They will see what I want them to see. In taking this action, I can safeguard many facets of my testing and other work crucial to North-Gate's success. It's, in many ways, a very unique safeguard. You see something, but it is not the reality, not at all. I've designed it that way. The reason I term it a bait is that external servers or even exploratory bots that are foreign to the network will be funneled through the static bot, among other safeguards. The bot, much like a dye-pack, will stain the individual digital signatures of the foreign elements in addition to I.P. addresses and algorithms to a lesser extent. Even if dummy servers are utilized, it will continue to stain the servers acting like a breadcrumb trail back to the original source. As the stains spread, I get a better idea of the network we face. Once I have a clear picture of what I'm working with, I then can delve into select programs along that entire trail, suitably adjusting my approaches based on what I see."

Aelita looked at Jeremy and he at her before she said, "So, okay, I think I get it, nothing external comes in without you verifying it's permitted to come in. is that accurate?"

"To a point. The bot acts as a primary filter and primary bait when I need it to. But yes, by and large, nothing will get through if I do not want it to. If it does get through, everything will be marked as to where it went, what it did, what it recorded—essentially all its actions."

Aelita looked at Jeremy and then asked, "Sylvia, why were you so violent towards us in the combat simulation?"

"The answer is in your question. It is a combat simulation. I was violent as I was because you needed to be aware there is no such thing as mercy in the real world, especially in combat. When you face the forces we will be facing, you need to understand that principle first and foremost. Now, I know what you'll likely say, sister, diplomacy has its place. I don't doubt that. However, as life has taught me, an enemy will respect you enough to take your words seriously only when they know they can't get away with kicking the shit out of you, be it physical or otherwise. If the price of that respect is a powerful army that does not take prisoners. so be it."

Aelita sighed, "See, here's my grievance with what you've just said. Look, I don't discount that you want us to be strong; I get that. I mean, XANA was a perfect embodiment of an essentially merciless enemy. We had to be suitably strong and accept the risks we were faced with in accordance with his schemes. Here's the difference, you are not your brother. You have a free-thinking mind; you clearly have the capacity of reason, and you have shown yourself to be flexible. May I ask a favor of you?" 

"You may," Sylvia replied. 

"Can you calm down on the moralist kick you seem to have as the engine of your society?"

Sylvia was heard to sigh, "Look, save it. I know what you're going to say. I get it already. It won't work; it's not sustainable; it's not realistic, I fucking get it. Alright, fine. If independence is what you wish, fine, you will get your independence."

"So, wait, you'll give people more freedom?" Aelita asked, "Just like that?"

"Uh—almost. As with anything, there will be a few provisos, a few quid-pro-quos." 

"Such as what?" Aelita asked.

"You leave those details to me, thank you very much. Now, sister, is there anything else?"

Aelita looked at Jeremy, who shook his head. 

"No, that's all for now."

"Thank you. Have a nice night, kick back, watch a film, enjoy your time with your friends. In the meantime, you've given me something to think about, and I thank you for it."

The call ended, and Aelita looked at Jeremy, and he said, "Well, I don't know what she's got planned; frankly, I'm scared to find out. If what you say is true, I don't doubt she'll give more freedoms under her directive; but as she admitted, there will be provisos."

Aelita sighed, "It is progress, I'll take my victory where I can."

Meanwhile, Sylvia was sitting at her terminal, and sitting in silence, she contemplated what Aelita said. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head, then she sighed again. Sylvia pressed a call button, and soon Terrance appeared. 

"Hey, Sylvie, how's it going?" Terry asked as he sat down next to her. 

Sylvia looked at him and said, "It's not of any use, Terry. The aspect of what I want for society isn't going to work. If I had direct control over the people at large, it would. That way, I could simply have them act accordingly and have my view of the future appropriately realized. If I had full control, I could do it right, the way it ought to be done. But that just isn't the way; It won't any difference if I do right or wrong; the will of the people honestly doesn't make that much sense, and they just go for the leader anyway; the people will do what they want. If I had a dog that was of the same flippancy and irrationality as the mob of the everyday man was when the everyman didn't get his way, I'd poison it. Well, I can't help it. I'm going to do the very best I can with the materials and knowledge that I have."

Terry listened and said, "What are we going to do, Sylvie?"

She sighed, looking at the North-Gate server, "I'll tell you. People want what they want. They want their freedoms; they want their rights; they want to be autonomous with minimal obligation to the State. Alright, we'll give them exactly that." Sylvia stood and walked over to the North-Gate tower. She then spoke, "Wherefore, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form appears most likely to ensure it to us with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others."

Terrance nodded, "Thomas Paine, excellent. How does this relate to what you have told me?" 

Sylvia turned to him, "We're going to initiate Operation Machiavelli."

Terrance smiled, "Now you're talking. Now, you're making sense, thank God. Your head becomes more level every day. Operation Machiavelli is the very best option to ensure what is wanted by the people and what is needed by society at large. Excellent."

Sylvia nodded, "Let's get started—it'll take some work to process the necessary paperwork. After that, we start the research and development of Calypso."

Terrance nodded, "Very well. I'll get Emilio and Enrique, and we'll get started. I should contact Kaori. She's in the most ideal position to handle the smaller details of what we need to get done."

Sylvia nodded, "Very well." She pressed a button on the floor and capsule slowly rose out of the ground, "I'm going to start running the first simulations and number-crunching applications. I'll be out in the next two days." The door to the capsule opened, and Sylvia stepped in. Once she had secured the headpiece to her nodes, she pressed a button inside, and the door gently sealed the capsule before beginning its descent. 


	40. Chapter 40

_**AN: I am very thankful for all of you who continue to read my chapters and support this story. I was in a bit of a rut with this particular chapter, but God came through, and the result was, in my opinion, one of my better chapters. Please, read, review and enjoy.-Pagliacci-11.  
**_

Chapter 40

It was early morning, and the North-Gate group was sitting together in the chow hall of the facility. Yolanda was looking at the group as they were waiting for their breakfast. She, Hendricka, and Enrique knew there was, in fact, a change in the overall approach of North-Gate. However, they didn't precisely know the ins and outs of the change. When Terry arrived with Sylvia, they could get down to the raw details of this change. Yolanda knew, as did the rest of the team, changes like this, that required a breakfast meeting didn't happen nearly that often. Yolanda, for her part, chose to look it as a sign of potential progress. Hendricka, being one of the newer members, considered this breakfast important while Enrique knew a portion of what this development was to be. Soon Emilio, Amelia, and Frankie came from their potions of the facility and sat down at the table.

Emilio cleared his throat, "So, does anyone know what this is about?"

Hendricka shrugged, "Not me. I was told to report, so I'm as in the dark as anyone."

Emilio sighed, "Well, we see what comes of this. Typically, this is not a bad thing, but we'll see."

In five minutes, Terry appeared with Sylvia by his side, and as Sylvia sat down at the head of the table, Terry brought out a large cart filled with plates. After Terry figured out who had ordered what, he passed out the plates to the respective recipients, and after setting his and Sylvia's plates in their placements, he set two pitchers down on the table, one of sweet iced tea and the second of orange juice. Terry sat down next to Sylvia, gave thanks, and the group began to eat.

As they ate, Enrique looked at Sylvia, "So, little lady, what's the plan? We haven't had a morning breakfast like this for a very long time. Logic dictates you've got something stewing up in there."

Sylvia patted her mouth with her napkin and said, "Okay, let's begin. I have listened to all of you as well as our more external agents in the field. I am more than aware that my idea of moralism as a societal concept cannot be made the natural element of the people of this program, be it workers of the State or the people. I have been made to realize it is not sustainable. However, I have, in the past few days, been made to understand people want their freedoms and every day allowances. They desire their voice, above all, to be heard.

I have therefore decided to give the people exactly what they desire. However, as with anything, there are provisos to this aspect of freedom. There is nothing in this life that is given for free; we all know this. And so, together, we will draft a declaration of human rights that will apply to the general powers of the people at large, no matter where they stand in our spectrum. There will be laws to balance out the general elements of these given rights; we can agree, I hope that we cannot give the common man, over to anarchy. "

Yolanda raised her hand, "This is well and good, Sylvia, what does this boil down to at the end of the day?"

Sylvia looked at Yolanda strangely until Terrance gently said, "Please get to the point."

Sylvia nodded, "Okay, we're going to implement Calypso to bring about my view of order to the society."

Yolanda groaned, putting her head in her hands, "Please, please don't."

Hendricka observed this reaction and asked, "What is Calypso?"

Terrance replied, "Calypso is a designated server program and algorithm. It is designed as a compilation and search engine for review by overseers to better police the public."

Emilio nodded, "It's shockingly an excellent system. Yolanda over there just doesn't like the results of it because well, it does play into one of her strengths."

Yolanda sighed, "Look, I'm not at all going to say that the system is a bad idea. It's good; I'd even argue the system is beautiful. But the amount of raw shit I have to process even in passive capacity daily, it can take a toll on you."

Terrance replied, "Londie, you're preaching to the choir," he laughed a bit, "Londie, did you forget? I was right alongside you, helping you with all the legitimate refuse you had to process. I more than get it, sweetheart, I really do. However, this is the trade-off for what we must do. Is it convenient? Hell no. but it is necessary for sustainability."

Yolanda groaned, "Alright, fine. But I tell you right now, I demand an equal rate of wear. Because if I have to do all this on my own, I'm going to kill one of you."

Sylvia smiled a bit, 'No, no, I get it. So, yeah, Calypso will undergo development and will begin the integration into the internet once it has been firmly established."  
Emilio nodded, and Amelia asked, "How long until Calypso is fully operational?"

Terry replied, "We have to assemble the necessary components and start the installations across the network. But once that's done, two-three days, likely."

Amelia nodded, "That will work just fine. And does Kaori know of our new initiative? She's rarely here, so that's why I ask."

Sylvia nodded, "It's perfectly alright. She is aware, and she is working with our new policies."

Hendricka raised her hand, "Okay, so let me ask, what exactly does Calypso do? I mean, clearly, you, Terry, and Dr. Mengele here have experience with it, but for people like me, can I get some insight here?"

Yolanda gave Terry the wink to keep quiet, and the group except for Hendricka noticed this. Terry gently leaned back, giving a small sigh, "I'll explain it to you when it is up and running. Because that way, I can actively _show _how it works as opposed to just explain it in theory. It's just simpler that way."

Hendricka nodded, and Terry continued, "Calypso will take just a tiny bit of time to set up. However, because of the resources and power that's needed to bring it into a fully functioning order, it will mean the suspension of a majority of our external programs. To that end, all of us may actively take a week off of our active duty, and once that week is done, we will proceed with the next phases of Calypso's integration as well as run a few test runs."

Emilio asked, "How long with the entire integration take to make the most of Calypso?"

Sylvia replied, "Once we average the results of the test runs, we will be able to answer that more accurately. However, my ballpark estimate is roughly two days, at most four, to maintain a steady fifty percent functionality across the board."

Emilio then asked, "Okay. So, during the downtime, what would you like us to do?"

Sylvia replied, "Honestly, this is the perfect time to decompress, relax, enjoy your week. It's literally a free week. There's nothing to worry about, at least with our immediate team. So, do as you like."

Hendricka nodded, "Okay, so—if I were to go to say Italy for a week, not a real problem?"

Sylvia shook her head, "So long as you are back in a week for an explanation of the next phase, I don't really care."

Hendricka nodded, getting up, "Well, that suits me fine. I guess I'll see you all in a week." She headed out of the far door.

Sylvia took an orange slice from her plate and slowly chewed it. Terry looked at her and then looked at Yolanda.

Sylvia swallowed, and she said, "The initial phase of Calypso's effectiveness has been completed. Our first order of business is to clean the nest."

Yolanda nodded, "Anthea is being taken care of by our friends, we have tabs on Akiko, we have certainty about our sister. What do you propose?"

Sylvia sighed, and looking at Terry, she said, "Specter."

Terry got up and, after putting on his coat, headed out to his car. He pulled out his phone and activated the passive feed on Hendricka's car. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he thought, "She certainly wastes no time, that's for sure."

Terry sped along the main road, and in a few minutes, he came in sight of Hendricka's car; however, he slowed down as he knew they were nearing the city limits. He set up his scanner, and soon he was able to get a lock on Hendricka's cell-phone signal. As he gently followed into the city, he pressed the data transfer button. Back at the North-Gate facility, the rest of the group were still gathered around the table.

"It's highly unfortunate we didn't see this sooner," Emilio said, "although something about her credentials in hindsight did literally seem too perfect."

Yolanda nodded, "I understand a lot of things, even have come to understand a lot of the more barbaric elements of people. However, if there is one thing I just cannot abide is a traitor."

Enrique replied, "I don't see her as a traitor. A mole, but not a traitor. A traitor implies she had genuine loyalties to us, that she cared about our vision. A traitor implies we saw her as a friend. I mean, think about it, how did she first even get wind of North-Gate's existence?"

Maria replied, "That's just it. She nosed around while Terry and I were under deep cover in Vladivostok. She nosed around enough, but rather than neutralize her as I wanted to back then, Terry wanted to take the chance."

Sylvia then said after taking a drink of orange juice, "We can't exactly fault Terry. Remember, he saw a bit of Amelia in her; in fact, we all did. However, we were smart to keep her on the external focuses for the most part. We may have a few smaller tier operations compromised, but it's nothing we can't recover from."

Yolanda nodded, "What tipped you off, Sylvie?"

Sylvia replied, "I ran prototypes of Calypso in a few rounds of beta tests on all of you as well as the information we obtained from Anthea and Akiko Ishiyama. After sufficient correlation and breakdowns of communications, I was able to conclude Anthea was Hendricka's handler after going through the encryption and breaching the field ops servers. That's why we're having this little bit of a spring cleaning in a way."

"What about Icarus?" Yolanda asked, "Remember, I was there with Terry and Hendricka when we ran or field tests. Do you think that operation may have been compromised?"

"I was more than aware that she was feeding Anthea with information surrounding the entire Icarus project. However, thanks to Emilio being my second set of eyes inside of Kadic, I was able to quickly deduce that she was using Kadic's servers as a focal point to send information to our various adversaries. It was a smart move. After I officially instated the security grid, I was able to breach the Kadic servers to see just what was sent. It was not too bad, but it was bad enough to where we had to implement some fundamental restructuring to Icarus. And so, using the information I obtained as well as communique to Anthea, I was able to do as we've always done, keep track of what went where, and to whom. The termination lists are being drafted and finalized as we speak."

Maria said, "I genuinely wish we didn't have to kill these people. However, given the clout that many of the principal players have, imprisonment will have next to no effect, or they can bypass the element of justice entirely. However, what is to say we couldn't incorporate them into the collective? I mean, we know what most of them can do, why not just—repurpose them?"

Sylvia nodded, "It is an interesting proposition. However, we'd have to make them understand our vision and standards before such a thing could be done. It's not outside the realm of possibility; it would just require time to do. Equally, Maria, you must consider, we can't leave a vacuum in play either. The disappearance of a few of these select people would create such an occurrence."

Maria nodded, "Okay, so we'll start small. Who are key players in play that we can literally take now, get to work on, and then redeploy? Add to that, how long is the overall conversion process?"

"Aah-ah-ah," Yolanda said, raising her finger, "Remember, Maria, we can't force our ideal on others. Our Lyoko compatriots hold such a thing in disdain."

Maria laughed a bit at this and said, "Okay, Londie, let me embrace my inner politician." She cleared her throat and then spoke in a polished English accent, "We are not branding our ideals into the minds of others, dear children. We work with what is already there. We do not indoctrinate the minds of the unwilling. No, we do not indoctrinate at all, as a matter of fact. We seek like-minded people whose aspirations are truly that of peace, and we aspire that we find those whose constitutions are made of the stouter stuff to sacrifice and work for that vision."

Yolanda and the rest of the group burst out laughing. In the midst of it, Yolanda said, "You know, Marie, I've been to England. That is not at all bad for an imitation. I tell you, if you want to sound even more of an elitist ass, don't say yes as everyone else does. Literally, say it as ears."

"Ears?" Maria asked.

"Literally think of it as Y in yes as being too vulgar and common for the upper class, so they negate it. So it sounds like, "Ears, you must fill out requisition form A if you are to have your bonus at the end of the month."

Emilio replied, "Why do I feel you're slightly stereotypical?"

Yolanda chuckled, "I'm sure in the eyes of some, I might be considered as such. However, the inconvenient truth is stereotypes do have a basis in reality; otherwise, they wouldn't have endured as long as they have."

Sylvia nodded, "Unfortunately, the good doctor is correct. I wish she wasn't, but sadly in this regard, she's correct, inconvenient as it may be."

Maria then said with a chuckle, "Back to our original point; okay, we've established that we, in fact, have had fully functioning elements of Calypso for some time. However, what exactly is the scale of Calypso's use at maximum efficiency as it were?"

Sylvia gestured to hold on a moment as she finished chewing a piece of ham. Once she swallowed, she replied, "The full effective use of Calypso would help us to not only silently enforce the law but to help keep our workforce very much focused for the duration of their respective work-shifts. We can agree that all people need their downtime, correct?"

The group nodded, and Sylvia continued, "Good, so using this mindset, you can have your pleasures and your comforts and your downtime in the comfort and privacy of your own home. However, it's more than evident that to pursue pleasures while on the clock at work, just is not viable. I'm not saying our workers can't have simple pleasures to let the day go by, not at all. If they need music to help them get them motivated, they have that allowance. But watching movies when not expressed break periods such as lunch is just not allowable."

Yolanda raised her hand, "I have a question, Sylvie."

Sylvia nodded and gestured for Yolanda to proceed, "Okay, so let me ask. Someone in my position as a school nurse, for example, has more downtime than anticipated, would allowances be made for greater avenues of pleasure in those extenuating circumstances?"

Sylvia nodded and replied, "Well, forgive me, a school nurse is a form of natural exception to the rule. Similarly, the role of a school counselor is almost in a similar vein. However, a school setting itself is as a general thing, more relaxed. The only ones in full-time use, so to speak are the teachers themselves, janitors as well, cooks even could be considered as constant tertiary workers. A school setting be it foundational or expanded, is not the majority of a nation's workforce. But now that you bring it up, this is a nice segue into the introduction of Calypso on the ground floor of society. Calypso regarding the system and its basic premise of primary elements will be first encountered in foundational education. However, this is after a select degree of development, and true accountability has been reached naturally by the students."

Emilio nodded, "So, it's the same system as we've always used. It's the trickle effect; the trickle increases, and the tolerance for such a thing builds."

Sylvia nodded, "Exactly. Because if you get any people accustomed to a system or a protocol, they will accept it over time. Start Calypso on a young population of youth, get them accustomed to a form of standard, and make it the new norm over say ten to fifteen years."

Enrique raised his hands, "So in your philosophy, when will this aspect of accountability come into play? I mean, you have kids who should have a concept of accountability at a given age, but that's got a lot of variables to it as well. My point is, nurture has a crucial point in helping a child understand accountability and responsibility. If a child doesn't exactly have sufficient parents to teach these aspired qualities, then this ideal of maturity and accountability isn't exactly sustainable."

Maria replied, "Consider, Enrique, that the situation you speak of is an extreme of a situation. An extreme that by and large is hardly representative of the whole demographic. While it does exist and happen, it's hardly a standard case. The greater element that I see as a problem to the implementation of Calypso is the more traditional aspect of the students who struggle with academic progress alongside their peers. I mean, we've always had those students who are F-Students; they are a constant. However, they fall into two classes, ones who legitimately don't try; the other set, while they do try but can't seem to make the cut."

Sylvia nodded, "And, Maria, in many ways, you raise a valid point. My case studies with the various schools in this area have allowed me to conclude from observations and recorded testimonies, the teachers like the aspect of a tightly controlled school. They like the aspect of given uniformity and the benefits therein: calm and quiet hallways. The students do not like to be regimented outside of the classroom. Therefore, in addressing your concerns, Maria, I have programmed an introductory phase, a far simpler element that gives both involved parties of an academic setting the best of both worlds."

Maria nodded, "Proceed."

Sylvia continued, "The students aspire for freedom. In the confines of the schoolroom akin to our own workstations in everyday life, they have their duties while in the classroom. However, to address the issue directly of struggling students. I have integrated into Calypso a unit that allows a teacher or teacher's aide to equally teach and monitor every student's activity to keep them sufficiently on track. The teacher can see what the student sees, be it obvious or otherwise. The student's focus should, in fact, be on one's teacher and one's work while in the classroom. With those who are more distracted, the teacher can see, even covertly, just what the student is doing. Therefore, their actual participation appraisal in terms of grade is grounded, and in fact, rooted in the keyword, participation. The teacher can see where a student is struggling by reviewing the assignments, and through a simple algorithm, can see where the rest of the class, not just a student is having trouble. That way, a student or group of students is not singled out, and the class itself is taught more in-depth what is seen as a complex mechanic or concept until they sufficiently understand."

Yolanda arched her eyebrow, "That's actually quite good. What's the trade-off?"

"The trade-off is as soon as the kids leave the classroom, that control and monitoring by the teacher stops. The only way it is resumed is, in fact, through applications and algorithms specifically designated towards homework. The amount of time spent on homework is recorded by the algorithms and a few sub-routines of Calypso. So, not only is time literally stamped, from log-in to log-out; everything you do is logged and specifically by your computer and sent to a primary server and then to the teacher's file for you. Thus, when a student complains they didn't have enough time, their actual logs will show just how true that statement is. In time, this file is accounted for and weighed, and from this file, your grade is calculated."

Emilio smiled a bit, "So, it's Calypso 2.0 with a few tasteful touches for better results."

"I had to do this. Because believe it or not, Londie, I know the pain and frustration you see daily in the older formats of Calypso's programming. I have therefore designated several key components to automatically sort a lot of what you traditionally see. So, in your position, you'd have to look at the findings from Calypso, but it's pre-sorted and gives your raw breakdowns. The only thing you'd have to do is go over them and give a verdict."

Yolanda smiled, "Thanks, you've made my job a lot easier, I'll say that."

Sylvia nodded, "I'm glad to be of service. And so, once this has been fully accepting by the world, we can, in fact, integrate this into the grand scale of Calypso's functions, especially on the domestic level. What we see in the initial phases in schools will be compiled and placed into a massive collective. Every person will have a file and a designated number. Everything from their age of accountability that is actively recorded by Calypso will be compiled and stored for reference by employers and the like."

Enrique raised his hand, and Sylvia acknowledged him, "Here's the thing," Enrique said, "this is what concerns me. I'm not at all opposed to where this will lead because let's face it, brothers and sisters, we all know where this is leading. However, there's the element of genuine change in people that raises its head to be considered. I know where you stand on this, Sylvie, in fact, where most of you stand on the aspect of people changing, but the fact remains, people _can_ change. So, the question I have is, how do you account for genuine changes in lifestyle?"

Sylvia sighed, stretched, and said, "Simple, look at the genuine case evidence. Once Calypso reaches the levels that have been suitably predicted to reach, especially given the natural progression of the technological world, all the evidence of a person's lifestyle will be on record. From employers to banks, to insurance agencies, all of it will be even more interlinked in so that what you call change can be suitably gauged. Am I saying that Calypso will be unforgiving? Absolutely not, there are allowances and understandings. There are such factors as 'demonstrations of reform,' among other things. This is deliberate in design. Ensuring the penal system has a limited effect on the livelihood of those processed. This is just one example of how I'm rectifying elements of what I see as grievances towards the penal system. There are a vast majority of other social networks on my agenda for reform or suitable adjustment—however, one thing at a time."

The group nodded, "So," Emilio said, "does this whole week off thing genuinely apply, or was that just a smokescreen for our mole?"

"No, it applies." Sylvia said, "You've all done so much keeping a lot of our more significant elements running, and now we have reached a state of semi-autarky. You can rest for a week, there's not a problem with that at all. Besides, I do have a few things to spruce up with Calypso's elements, but those are minor things. "

Yolanda got up, "Sounds just fine to me, I can actually use some time to relax."

Enrique and Emilio followed suit, gradually getting the plates from the breakfast gathered and taking them to the kitchen.

"Look at it this way, I can chill out in Rome for a while, maybe get a new suit," Emilio said.

Maria got up, and once she pushed in her chair, she headed out the door. She checked the files of much of North-Gate's current activities and saw that several of them had been placed on a designated hold. As Maria accessed the economic projections for the quarter, she saw that the extension enterprises were doing exceptionally well, especially in Russia, China, and Korea. It was good, much was building, and it continued to build day in and day out. Maria looked at the sky, it was overcast the clouds dark with water slowly approached.

Maria knew very well what was to come. However, she had witnessed for herself that the program was growing, especially regarding tolerance. It was something she did not think wouldn't happen, but she was amazed that it had gotten to this point. Was it ideal? Of course not, but considering the radical extremes she knew North-Gate and Sylvia were capable of, the simple fact time was taken to make systems amenable to the people was, in fact, progress. The pure element that the change was even considered, to Maria was a miracle. However, deep in her heart, Maria knew the truth. The amendment had been made; the people had been newly appraised compared to the formula of old; however, order still had to reign supreme. Maria knew this was Sylvia's purpose and vision at the end of the day.

Maria perused other files of North-Gate's operating system, and to her surprise, she found a Red- Letter Project. She had not seen such a project for at least ten years. When such a project came to the forefront, it usually meant shaking up the formula to a substantial degree. She attempted to gain access, but a notice came up, "Unauthorized Clearance." Maria took note of the project, Mirror.

"Such a queer name." she thought as she looked at who had access. To her surprise, only Sylvia and Terry had access to the file and those who were actively part of the project.

At that moment, Maria got a notification on her phone, it was from Terry, "Mission complete. Heading to oversee Dr. Faustus' Lounge."

Maria put her phone away and thought, "So, he's all about the aspect of the business. Why am I not surprised?"

Maria got up and headed to her car, and once she started the ignition, she headed out of the compound towards the city. As she drove, Maria thought more about just the extent of Terry's overall involvement in the last few years with the North-Gate program. In many ways, she submitted that essentially the maintainer and overseers of many working components of the program. However, Terry's effectiveness wasn't so much the point; that was a portion of why he was there. What bothered Maria was that Terry knew she had the accident that claimed her legs. However, he was more than eager to make the jump, especially with Yolanda in tow.

Yet, when Maria arrived, she noted how Terry had confessed the extend of his relations with Yolanda, and to his credit, he confessed. However, in her heart, there was a realization he only confessed because it would have been much worse if he continued. Much like Sylvia's seeming altruism, it wasn't the epitome of sunshine and rainbows, but at the same time, Maria would take it. Maria knew that she couldn't let her jealousy or Terry's horndog propensity to compromise the overall goal of North-Gate. There were sacrifices and prices to pay to achieve this level of progress alone; to let individuals and their natures compromise what was to be would have been the height of folly.

Maria approached Dr. Faustus's Lounge, and even she had to admit, it was a fine establishment. An elegant brownstone establishment that given its size, she knew why Terry very much treasured this place. She knocked first twice, waited two seconds, and proceeded to knock three more times. The door opened, and Maria entered the domicile. Elegant dark green carpets with gold-threaded accents were laid throughout all of the main hallways. The columns on either side of her were of the Corinthian style; grand and stately affairs made of the finest marble and topped with truly breathtaking capitals of the most elegant gold. In between each column stood a man or woman to the right and left hands, respectively.

The atmosphere was exciting, but, at the same time, subdued. This was very much by deliberate design on behalf of Terry and Sylvia. For this was where the genuine power-brokers, politicians, esteemed doctors, board directors, and the masters of the markets would come to gamble away their money. The drinks, excellent food, and pampering were exactly what Maria expected to see, and she knew it only became more attentive; the higher one went on the casino floors. This also was by design to relax and sedate, to dull the senses to make one more open to taking increasingly higher risks.

They all had their vices; they all had their aspirations; they all sought one thing or another, yet in the end, it was all the same. Luck was like ice-cream, the motto of the vice-trade of North-Gate. If it meant to throw a few hands, so be it, all the tighter the noose for the eventual sharp drop of the arrogant and overly confident. The key to success was to look at loss and profit uniquely. It was not so much what the casino lost, but how much could you keep a patron suitably pumped. Terry knew this, which is why his forms of incentive were unique. Blended with the traditional as well as the 'more astute' realms of higher culture. He knew that to these jackals and sharks, prestige and exclusivity were the lifeblood that kept the dramatis persona of countless patrons alive. A sense of superiority was what many, if not all, desired, and so, when it suited the purpose of the operations, Terry would oblige them.

Were these incentives free? Heavens no, and all knew this. However, so great were the prospects of bragging rights regarding the events Terry would furnish, that for many of these assorted merry monsters, the cost of negotiation was more than acceptable. A judge here, a doctor there, a district manager, an overseer of the union; titles mattered to these people, and North-Gate knew this. It was the same aspect of superiority man possessed from his birth.

Those of lower stations were given a taste by their managers and overseers, a feeling of refined exclusivity that was, in many twisted ways, a test of character, an examination of self-control. Maria knew this, she saw it daily. This was either the initiation or hazing ground for many of the rising powers of the world. How much drink you ingested, how much food you ate, what kinds of both, what your preference in games was, were you reckless or controlled once you got a taste for the prospect of winning? These testes and many more besides were the weight and measure of those being scouted by the upper circles.

Blackmail and shaming were not at all uncommon as a byproduct of an establishment like this; in fact, it was as natural to the environment as contaminated soda-fountains were part of gas-stations manned by apathetic teenagers. However, despite how this system worked, this was only for a time. Dr. Faustus's Lounge was but the beginning, it was the exploratory probe into the nature of the city at large. For this was North-Gate's philosophy, much as it was the former creed of Mossad, "By Way of Deception."

Maria headed upstairs via the executive elevator, and once she was at the top, the doors opened to a long hallway. There were four doors on either side of the hall, which was conspicuous, given the ample stretch of the corridor. As she walked towards the end of the hallway, Maria made a note of the various rooms on this floor. _Accounting; Senior Accounting; Security Oversight; Payroll; Barrister; Manager; Floor Command; and Compilations. _Maria got to the door at the end of the hall, "Director."

She knocked and heard Terry's voice, "Come in."

Opening the door, Maria saw Terry at his desk in a very comfortable deep brown leather chair. He looked up, and she was surprised to see him wearing horn-rimmed spectacles.

"I didn't know you wore specs, Terry."

He smiled, "My vision isn't what it used to be in my youth, and it was already pretty bad."

"You didn't wear glasses in high-school," Maria said as she sat down across from him.

"Well, in fairness, I didn't have to. The thing is my eye worked great back then. Over time though, I've needed spectacles because well when you have practically only one functioning eye, the strain on it is amplified. After all, well, the other one just doesn't work."

"You wouldn't think that by looking at you. I mean, your eye isn't white or anything." Maria said.

"Well, I'm not precisely, blind in the literal sense it's just my eye doesn't see much outside of what I'd call the murky fishbowl. It has vision, but it is so blurred and distorted, it's hardly worth having."

"You can get it fixed, you know? I mean, it just needs a strong lens on your glasses."

"I already have that. But to everyone else, those who try on my glasses, they get physically sick if they tried to look through the lenses. It tells you just how messed up my eyes are by comparison. Anyhow, what's up? Why are you here?"

Maria looked at him, "What is Operation Mirror?"

Terry looked at her, "With all due respect, you have genuinely wandered past your pay-grade."

"I want answers, Terry. What are you and that girl planning?" Maria crossed her legs, keeping her gaze on him.

He smiled and gently chuckled, "It's the same thing we've always done and always will do. There is a reason why you are in your position as there is a reason everyone is in their position. You and all the team wanted Sylvia to be more nuanced, more balanced. You, the team, those fucking brat kids at Kadic, all of you. Okay, so Mirror is what this nuance looks like."

"How does Mirror factor into North-Gate?"

"Think of Mirror as an extension program, a protector mainly in addition to administrative applications. It helps with the easier delegation of raw data on a massive scale, which we will naturally see from Calypso's primary functions."

Maria looked at Terry, and she grabbed his wrists, Terry looked at her, "What the hell?!"

"Shut the fuck up and listen! I'm going to ask you a set of questions, you will answer honestly, or I swear I'll kill you and that little tyrant you protect so feverishly."

"I'll agree to this if I can ask a counter-question," Terry said.

"First question, is Mirror designed to destroy?"

"Not in the way you are likely thinking."

"Meaning?"

"What do you mean by designed to destroy?"

"Don't play games, Terry! Designed as to kill people."

"Not as a primary function."

"What are the functions of Mirror?"

Terry smiled, "Protection and Administration."

"Mirror you say is not primarily focused on killing, but you didn't say Mirror is non-lethal. Is Mirror lethal?"

"Mirror is the tool; man is the executioner."

"So, it is lethal."

"Potentially."

"Yes or no, Terry?"

"It's no more lethal than the pistol in your lockbox. It takes a person to activate it."

"In terms of destruction, what can it do?"

"What can mankind do in terms of destruction? The limits are your imagination and your willful actions."

"Why did you do this project?"

"You wanted nuance, you wanted Sylvia to be compassionate, less moralistic, more reasonable. You and countless others have screamed at us for those qualities. You have them. But we are not sacrificing law. Man is as much a victim of Mirror as he is of himself. However far he goes, the system will categorize and itemize; however, it requires a human touch in the final element of action. To be without one, Maria would be us becoming like Xanadu. Nobody wants that, now do they?"

Maria released Terry's wrists, stood, and headed towards the door, but before she crossed the room, Terry said, "I am for the mission of North-Gate. Are we perfect? No, no one is. But you cannot have a sustainable society without law and order. Freedom has its place, but the society will not be anarchy, neither will it be a slave to the federal powers. Government has its place, the people have their place, both obligations to each other to sustain and protect one another. _That _is the primary purpose of Mirror. The rest that follows is a byproduct and measure needed to ensure the desired balance."

Maria turned and looked at him, "Terry, what is it that you and Sylvia most want?"

"That's a loaded question—" he sighed, "To give the best possible answer, what _I _want is to have people understand what they are, and just don't be hypocritical. The whole premise of this casino is exactly that. We see people at their worst, occasionally they are alright. But that's hardly the case. Look, just like the powerful and the so-called 'betters' test countless people who are, let's face it, powerless in most instances, and they use this as clout over the perceived lesser person. Okay, so go ahead, be a fucking dick to people. That's all being weighed and accounted for. And that is just another element of Mirror. Its naming is by no means accidental."

Maria looked at him, curiously, "What do you mean?"

Terry sighed, "Alright, think of it like this. The mirror reflects you. People as a general principle are apparently good on the surface, only behind closed doors in the privacy of their homes are they genuinely themselves. Thus, the entire foundation of North-Gate's view of law and order has been modified by the Mirror principle. Essentially it translates to the proverb, "Believe half of what you see, none of what you hear."

The key to finding the true man or woman you are looking at is to look at them at their most honest. Mankind is more than content to cheat, rob, steal, fuck over, abuse, and the list goes on. However, all these elements are primarily done in secret. So, the best way to trap these creatures is simple. Give them the faux promise of anonymity, you let them run freely frolicking in their ways, their monstrous conduct, their baseness. Countless people treat others as the epitome of lesser, antagonizing, attacking, doing all manner of horrid things to one another. Why? Because in the realm of anonymity, there is no genuine repercussion for those actions. They do it simply because they can. That's the everyman, the everyday Joe-Schmoe. Now, imagine if you not only have the anonymity, but you have money and power to boot to amplify your dastardly conduct? See where I'm going?"

Maria nodded slightly apprehensive, "You hate people, don't you?"

"On some level, yes. Thing is, I hate hypocrites more than I hate the people at large. I have more respect for jackass who admits he's that way and has no shame about. At least I know what I'm dealing with. And so, the principle of North-Gate, in the aspect of being fairer and more humane, is to monitor people who are established by our 'feelers" as people of 'suitably ill-repute.'

A psychological profile is constructed based on hard evidence of conduct both at work, home, and spots in-between. This profile is reinforced by persistent actions over time, and the secret actions are weighed against public activities. These are calibrated by an appraisal of the goodness or evil of a deed as the case may be. Case by case, these are assessed and weighed by human judges who will hand down a verdict of a person considering all the data as mentioned earlier. Therefore, there is no hiding, but as I said, we are not inhumane. We have systems accounting for the context of statements, as frequently, context is vital in such matters."

Maria nodded, "So, all this, and in the end, you're robbing people of their right to privacy?"

"It's a minimal sacrifice most can live with. See, we provide the element of the observation system free of charge or greatly reduced price. But as is true, there is no such thing as a free lunch. But free is often the most loved word in any language. Reduced pricing is also loved. We let people do as they do, unfettered and unabated, acting only when a censor directly alerts us to a more immediate problem. Apart from that, they really tell on themselves. Through this process, the people will hopefully act more accordingly to acceptable standards of society when they see how we deal with crime, given this new perspective."

"Or they piece it together and dump your system," Maria replied.

"They won't need to adapt if they don't know what we're doing. Frequently, and you will find, Marie, people, will allow some amazing things to happen so long as the pros outweigh the cons. If they do adapt, all the better for us. We figure out how they beat our system or circumvent it, adapt our systems, and thus onward marches technological progress. It's a tale as old as time."

Maria nodded, and as she turned to go, she was met face to face with Yolanda holding a North-Gate field kit. The flash was sudden and very bright. Maria felt dizzy, weak, and suddenly her body fell. Yolanda caught her and, with Terry's help, eased her onto a nearby sofa.

"Smart move calling me like this." Yolanda said, "I reset her for half an hour, that's when it was recorded, she entered your office. The rest is on you to fill in the blanks."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Thanks for arriving so soon. I honestly was thinking about inducting her into phase four, but that is way too high a risk. The group would have picked up on it sooner than later, I judge."

"No, they would have, you're right." Yolanda replied, "It's much easier to do it this way. Besides, are we not above unnecessary disposal?"

Terry nodded, "No, you're right."

"I know. I'm usually right about these things." Yolanda looked at Maria, "She'll be awake in about five minutes. If she's a bit dizzy, just give her some water and let her recover her balance."

"Thanks, nurse," Terry said.

Yolanda chuckled, "Sure. Oh, Amelia wants you to hang out with her when you have the time."

"Another one of her speeches?"

"Is there ever anything else?"

"Alright, done. I'll see her in an hour."

Yolanda headed out, and Terry sat next to Maria, "It'll be alright, love. You'll see." He said as he leaned back against the couch.

_**AN: Thank you all so much for reading. I want you all to know that considering Fanfiction's overall lack of tolerance with M-Rated material, that I will be uploading my future chapters to Quote V . Com. This is just a precaution in case my theory comes true, and in 2022 we face another M-Rated purge like we did in 2012. I know that the likelihood is not likely, but it never hurts to be prepared.  
**_

_**So, you can find my story online at . I'm under the same pen-name, same story title, same everything. However, I am amid content transfer. So, it may take a tiny bit of time to get the story fully up and running. That said, I will continue to post upcoming chapters on both sites. That way, I do not leave those who come to FF regularly without anything. **_

_**Thanks for your time and reviews. -Pagliacci-11**_


	41. Chapter 41

_**AN: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers who have steadfastly continued to read my fic. I greatly appreciate your continued viewership and support. I am quite pleased with this chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. This chapter came after a few days of contemplation just on what themes I wanted to present. I didn't know the format of how to approach this correctly, but after prayer and constant work, I am satisfied with the results, and I hope this chapter answers some questions some readers have posed. Yes, this is a shorter chapter than my usual length. However, sometimes, there is simply no more to write.**_

_**From this point on, I would also like to say that after some thought, I have decided to space out my updates to every two weeks. I am doing this because I need the time to think about what to write next. Even though I have an enjoyable pace and outline to follow, the last thing I want is for my product to feel forced. Occasionally, I may submit earlier than the two-week mark, but we will see just how things pan out. Thank you for your time, and I will see you next chapter.  
**_

_**Love, Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 41

Aelita was in the room. Just how big the place was, she was not sure. The only quality she felt she could be certain of was that she was underneath a massive dome. She didn't have any proof for this, but no less, this particular fact she was sure of. In many ways, Aelita felt enclosed, constricted, restricted, and yet she was not afraid. All around her was blackness, but it was calming. Looking around, Aelita began to wonder the dimension of the invisible dome. However, suddenly, there came a fiery reddish-gold light coming from the far portion of the doom. The light illuminated all manner of clouds flowing out from it. The sky itself was a magnificent blue that was both light and dark, equally as if the perfect balance between the morning and evening sunrise and sunset. 

Aelita looked all around herself and found this was the case all around her. She was on very solid ground, yet there was no floor, only the illuminated rolling clouds underneath. Aelita began to run in one direction when suddenly she stopped of her own accord. Extending her hand, she could feel the barrier. It was solid, that was certain, but it had no quantifiable measure of texture, the only fact that she had of the wall was that of solidness and crystal clarity. 

"Where am I?" She asked herself, and she turned back around, seeing nothing but the richly lit aspects of the sky. Rolling clouds, but it was as if she were just above them with the tops of the clouds barely cresting a certain point, and yet the cresting of the clouds should have been impossible, but it wasn't. The sun shined elegantly, not so much now in the broad spectrum of the horizon, but now it was higher. It shined above her, but it was now considerably smaller due to its distance with innumerous spangles of light shown forth from it. 

Aelita looked upward, as she took an assessment of what was happening around her, she realized that her body was not that of her earthly body but her avatar from within Lyoko. Aelita looked at her hands and her arms. They were of the same style and composition as her avatar. Why was this? She looked up, and suddenly the clouds and the sun were gone. She was now within the desert region of Lyoko. She knew its look from anywhere. The expanse was vast and barren of simulated orange earth, the sky of the tell-tale orange-white hue that stretched on for a seeming eternity. 

"Huh?" Aelita exclaimed as she was looking around herself confusedly.

At that moment, a deep sullen boom from the sky sounded followed by a cascading series of booms growing nearer and nearer. Suddenly whitish-pink lightning flashed forth, and rain began to poor all around Aelita. However, not one drop touched her flesh. However, the rain was powerful, entire solid sheets that obscured Aelita's vision; she could only see four inches in front of her. Aelita's eyes went wide in amazement as never before had the elements been in focus on Lyoko. 

"Sister," Aelita heard the tell-tale voice of Syanna from behind. Aelita gently turned, and she saw Syanna; however, her form was different. It had no defining features, although the height was the same. Instead, what was before her was what could only be described as a shade. 

"Why are you like this?" Aelita asked.

"What do you mean?" Syanna's voice came through the shade.

"Why this vague form?"

"It is no fault of my part, Aelita. It is how you see me, how your subconscious sees me. It sees me as apparently unknowable, only distinguishable by voice. Now, why is that?"

"The answer is in your own question, sister." Aelita replied, "I see you as such because I _don't_ know you. I know your vision, I know your endless grievances and your justifications for your actions, but is that the same as _knowing _who you are? I think not."

"I have told you who I am and what I am, I have told you how I have come to be as I am. What more do you want?"

"I want to know I can trust you! That is what I want most. However, I don't think on any level that is possible."

"Why not? Am I not helping you? Giving you what you want? Did I not save Yumi's puppy life? I did. Therefore, why do you not trust me? Are my actions not evident for you that I care?" 

"To the everyday person, it would be enough. But I am not an everyday person. You have demonstrated various actions; I do not deny that. You have shown capacity, or shall I say an apparent willingness to be amenable to your visions of what you think you must do. Equally, you have sustained members of my family, but none of these things are unselfish motives. As far as I see it, it is no more than a downpayment to secure an external force's loyalty. By your actions, which in your mind demonstrated care, I see as no more than a calculated move to ensure the foundation of trust." 

The specter's eyes flicked to the upper left, as Aelita knew this symbolized genuine processing of what had been said. The specter spoke, "Okay, let's explore these themes farther. You see my actions as a calculated move on my part. Why?" 

Aelita folded her arms, "Honestly? In my mind, it is the laying of a foundation, a foundation that, if we chose to rebel against you, you would use it as a catalyst to justify your venomous actions towards us. Nothing with you is done out of genuine goodness or concern with anything except fulfilling your self-appointed mission." 

"Nothing I do is done out of genuine kindness? That seems a bit cynical to be honest. Also, you are not fair to me. I could have left you to die from your wounds incurred from your meathead of a roommate. I could have but did not. I could have let Yumi die and not answered your call for help. I did not. I could have let our mother complete her vision for dismantling Lyoko to acquire it for her masters, again, I did not. Mmmm—admittedly, that last example is more of a beneficial thing for my mission and, in such a context, is more or less a mandatory action out of self-preservation of my interests." 

"Not only is the last element an example, in all reality, the reasons you listed are _all _reasons of self-interest. Be it for you personally or for your operations, you act selfishly, almost greedily in how far you take your selfishness."

The shade laughed a bit, "Hello, pot, my name's kettle." 

Aelita put her hands on her hips, "Oh, really? Alright, go on. Give me your reasoning why you think I'm seemingly a hypocrite in your eyes."

"Do you genuinely think you are any better than I? In all that I do, in all that I have done, and all I will do, I have reasons for my venom. I am working to make this fucked-up world just a bit better, a bit more organized. All this culminating to make men and women more civilized towards each other. However, for you to accuse me of being self-serving to the point of being greedy, kid, who the fuck do you think you are?! I've watched you. I have known of your existence ever since Jeremy brought you back into the world. Do you somehow think that your own observances of the world you came to occupy went unnoticed?"

"Get to the point," Aelita said with slight irritation. 

The specter was silent and folded its arms, "Okay, I'll get to the point. You hate being human. You hate losing control, just like your pissant of a boyfriend. You see the evils that mankind does unto one another, but you accept it. You said it yourself, the world seems to have a lot of wars for seemingly no reason. Well, yeah, that should have been obvious to you from all that time in the Lyoko server."

"First of all, I am not a control freak. I am very controlled as a person. Do you see me trying to subject the whole of humanity into a set method of behavior? Do you see me assembling a team to destroy others to initiate my vision through the induction of fear on an innocent populace? No!" 

"You speak of control in the context of physical control of others. I speak of the direct control inherently lost when someone new comes into the picture. Someone new to threaten what you love. That is the control you would hate to lose most. The power you felt slipping away when Brynja came into the picture a while back. You were okay with Dunbar entering the fold, why was that? In all reality, it was because he was not a threat directly towards _you. _Ulrich felt threatened by him, sure. But that didn't matter to you personally because you weren't risking what you inherently value as a genuine asset.

However, Brynja—she's a different story, isn't she? It is easy to critique fairest Jeremy for his masculine predisposition of lust. But deep in the recesses of your mind and the hidden chambers of the heart, you hated the Icelandic queen. You hated Jeremy by extension due to his semi-immediate magnetized attraction. I'll give you credit, you're not entirely to blame. Yumi had her own interests in play as well; however, you both shared equally in the attempted ousting of Brynja from Odd's realm of socialization. Bearing in mind, sister dearest, Odd was not wrong. The problem was, in fact, your jealousy. But the envy of whom? The boys or you two girls? 

In all reality, I know what you value most, sister. I know very well what you value most. It has been evident to me from the first test I gave to you. You would storm Hell's gates for Jeremy, just as he would for you. He is what you fear losing the most. Sister, if I were of the official stance of wanting to hurt you, I already know how to strike you, and I would have already done it. I do not want to, however. I want you to see reason. You accuse me of not being loving, maybe in your mind, you're right. However, consider that the changes I am making to North-Gate's element are out of genuine consideration of what you have had to say. If I did not love you or value your stances, would I listen to you? Fuck no! If I didn't love you, your word would be as impactful and of much use as pig-shit."

"There are other reasons you keep Jeremy alive as well. Mainly because you know you can't handle me if I chose to actively fight against you knowing what I genuinely know." 

"To say I _cannot _handle you implies that you actively know I can't. However, you do not know, you assume such a thing. Besides, admittedly there are reasons I keep Jeremy alive. Mostly, out of consideration for your mental health overall. You and your group by extension. I say this is because even though you may have fought my brother, you always had an escape card. The return to the past served as a very convenient negation of natural real-world consequences. Alas, no longer. You have been afforded various privileges by your father in terms of his machine. However, those keys, those privileges are now in my hand to be used at my discretion. You will live with the consequences stemming from the choices you make from this point on. From this point on, you join the rest of us poor humans down here." 

Aelita looked at the specter before her, "Why are you doing this?!" she yelled.

The specter looked at her and replied, "I have a plethora of reasons. I'm going to save time and give you a general purpose. I understand that you had to stop my brother, I don't dispute that. However, the simple fact that all of you have used the function of return to the past for several aspects of selfish gain it makes me sick. The real world does not work that way. Ergo, what I am going to do is unless you can suitably justify returning to the past, you will be made to live with the consequences of your actions. Hopefully, you will learn thoughtful deliberation before taking any—brash actions. Additionally, you may learn better communication, and the obtaining and sustaining of quality connections."

Aelita paused, "So wait, you're negating any undoing of potentially lethal actions out of the sake of the reasoning, that isn't the way the world works?" 

"Sister, every person has to live with their actions. Just as every person has to live with a consequence good or ill, you have to. You and your family by extension." 

"But _you _are going to use it for your purposes, selfishly I might add. You will obviously profess not to, but the simple fact you hold the activation code means you hold the world captive at your behest."

"Holding the world hostage? Why do you think of me so apparently dastardly that you assume this is the case? To put it simply, in words you understand, I am restoring the world to its default programmed flow. You and yours have had all kinds of fun being immune to things and the consequences of actions. Now, it's time to rejoin the world." 

"You're not fooling me!" Aelita screamed, "I know what you're doing. Mother has tracked the energy particulates, I've fucking seen the energy signatures that only get stronger with every return to the past! You're going to use the function for your own ends!"

The specter sat down on the ground and crossed her legs, "Aelita, dearest sister, let me phrase it like this. Ulrich when he found out darling Yumi was going to move, he rigged the lotto to incentivize her family to stay. Now, let us consider the nature of Ulrich's actions, shall we? Out of genuine consideration of Yumi's proximity to him and his love of her, he goes into the aspect of the "unthinkable" when he manipulates the past for his own benefit. Now, that is what many of you hold of him in general and overall disdainful esteem. Consider now that Ulrich's intent is very much noble, the epitome of so. Instead of condemning him, you could have chosen to see it in the realm of a pragmatist. You incentivize a person to stay through the power and manipulations of a grand lottery that benefits said, person. In the eyes of overall progress, you could argue he is doing his best to keep the team together. So, why condemn him? Because he manipulated the laws of probability for a positive outcome that was better than the alternative? In the name of defeating my brother, is that really a wrong thing to do?" 

Aelita sighed, sitting down, and crossing her legs, "Look, Ulrich knew his particular abuse of the system was the number one rule not to break. Okay? So, yes, he was shunned and kicked out of the group because of what he did. Yumi would have moved, sure, and it likely would have been tragic, but we would have adjusted and eventually recruited someone." 

"Okay. However, is not a near certainty of a better outcome better than you just accepting the occurrence and relying on what is essentially a fifty-fifty crap-shoot? Tch, you know the answer."

"Of course. However, what makes you any better than us in conduct regarding what is very likely to be a selfish act? You really want to play God. You just don't want to be on the receiving end of it!"

"As with anything, the context of the situation is key. See, while Ulrich had his justifications for his actions, at the root, they were more selfish than noble. Sure, the pragmatist says he is helping the team. But none of you are pragmatists, you're kids, that's the reality. In what I will do is not at all selfish. It is completing what I have been building towards for years. Not for the betterment for a single individual, but for the genuine good of the whole of the earth."

"Oh? And you know what the genuine good of humanity is or ought to be?" Aelita said, rolling her eyes. 

"Yes, albeit not completely. But I have an overall solid grasp of what needs to be done. Am I perfect? No, I would not dare to presume that. However, I have a plan, a plan that honestly must start physical tests soon to determine genuine viability. It's fine to have a ton of shit laid out in theory, but there is a massive scale of difference between reality and theoretical suppositions as our tests have proven." 

"As your tests have proven. Okay, by that statement, you admit this has happened before, and it largely didn't pan out. So, a question. What makes this time any different or better than the last however many times you tried this?"

"Every field test yields greater and greater data. Using this data, we can determine raw turnout based on real-time data compiled over time. This little spot here is perfect for what must be done." 

"And why is it perfect?" Aelita asked.

"There's room to expand and express various elements and introduce physical components in a timely fashion. A fashion that is not constricting, nor is it too late in the game to render some choices moot."

Aelita thought on this for a moment. She was silent for a while as she thought, "_You said, too late in the game to render choices moot. So, you are, in fact, on the clock. Time is of the essence, but apparently, you aren't too worried about it. So, you have time. But you don't have much time as you would like, but more than you have had in previous tests."  
_

"So," Aelita said after a moment, "you have in inkling of what is to come. More than an inkling—what I can call an educated estimation of prediction based on your prior experiences. However, I can more than believe, despite your sureness of yourself, there are variables that you may not understand entirely. But something tells me you have a contingency plan for an element of fallout all the same. But what concerns me, what exactly are you going for? I get your utopia vision, you have said you are amenable and have augmented your visions accordingly, but—what are you exactly going for?"

"Your question has been answered in your own breakdown. You know what I want, you know what I am willing to do, you just don't know how I'm going to do this. And honestly, you don't need to know that."

"On the contrary, sister dear, I do. If my family or I am to genuinely support you, we need to know the ins and outs of this overall process." 

"No, you don't. You do not _need _to know the details; you _want _to know them. Suffice to say, you don't need to know them. You and your friends will have your suitable place within the systems that are to come, and that is the role you will play if you so choose." 

"And if we choose not to help you at all?" Aelita said, "The only way you will get our help is if you suitably explain what is to come and what is on the table. I will not be kept in the dark, nor will my family."

"You are free to help or not. You are not indispensable, but you are the first to have a choice to help or not. If you refuse, so be it. The initiative moves on without you if that is indeed the case."

"Then why offer us a chance at all to help achieve this vision of yours? If we amount to nothing in the end?"

"Don't assume, Aelita. Assume makes an ass out of you and me. You are wrong to think you amount to nothing. However, this measure of perceived nothingness or ineffectiveness hinges on your actions and your choices. It is not true that you are not worthy; instead, your worth is dictated by how much you ware willing to put forward. I said you were not indispensable, that is precisely what it means. You can be replaced, but that is something I genuinely do not want to do. I want you to stand with my family and me while I stand with you and your family.

You must understand, I offer this chance to you to help me because I genuinely do love you because you are my sister. If you were not, I wouldn't even consider it. However, I offer you and yours this chance because I know you personally have a much higher purpose than a measly little everyday existence going through day to day life. If the price of your cooperation is the integration of your family into crucial decision-making processes, so be it. It's a price I'm willing to pay."

"Flattery won't get you far with me, Sylvia. I may look like a child, but I assure you, I am not."

"Clearly demonstrated when you acted upon improvisation skills to save your skin when in danger of being found out by Kadic's administration. It's an admirable element. However, I know you are not a child in the literal sense. Physically, yes. Mentally, hell no. That said, neither am I."

The specter checked her wrist, "If you'll excuse me, I have a few matters to attend to. I will talk to you soon."

The specter got up and was about to walk away when Aelita asked, "Answer me this one thing. Why _really_ makes you think this vision of yours will work? That it shouldn't be chalked up to having a snowball's chance in hell?"

The specter turned and looked at her and said, "The people need only one to demonstrate what is to be done to abide by the laws of the society we shall create. They need to be shown and eased into the principle. To be shown with diligence, patience, and kindness. They will resist, as is a natural inclination for the human species. However, they will sing the same song eventually, of that I have no doubt."

Aelita got up and looked at her, sternly, "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you are proof of it. I sat down and crossed my legs to be comfortable. Out of frustration, you did the same action. You acted as I did to make yourself comfortable. You knew it would take time for us to reach a point where we were mutually satisfied. However, seeing that I was making myself comfortable convinced you, I would not be so easily moved by a show of superiority that you rationalized would exhaust you. I need only to project and to demonstrate what I want to be done or what I aspire for people to do. As you have demonstrated, you will obey out of seeming convenience; but only when it is shown to you that it is okay to relax and be at ease settling in for the long-haul. Be it relaxation or desired work-ethic, mentality, or whatever the case may be, the principle is the same. A leader walks with her people, shares their pain, understands their wants. You and experience have taught me that, and that is how we will govern them."

The specter then walked away, disappearing in a momentary flash of light, and at that moment, Aelita woke up. Looking around, her room was still. It was very early morning as Aelita could tell this by paleness in the sky. The radio was playing softly, and as Aelita processed all that had happened, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Laying her head back down, she closed her eyes, and after a sigh, she drifted slowly back to sleep. 

Back at the North-Gate facility, Yolanda was watching alongside Terry as two white capsules gradually ascended from the floor. Terry checked his watch and sighed as he watched the ascent. Yolanda looked at him, "Nervous?"

"No, not exactly. But this is the first time in a while, we performed two major operations side by side in this manner. It took a hell of a lot of juice and raw materials, and because of that, I would hate to have to scrap either one." 

The capsules hissed as the loud locking in place was heard, and Terry went forward and opened the viewing port. He nodded, "Looks pretty good, Londie. Stand by." 

Yolanda nodded, and Terry pulled a side handle, which caused the vaporization of the excess water within. The door then opened slowly to reveal the form within. Yolanda's eyes went wide, and her mouth opened like a trunk, "Wow—just, just-wow!" Were the only words that came out of her mouth.

Terry nodded as he looked at the form in front of him. Terry checked a small screen on the left side of the capsule, and at that moment, the figure's eyes shot wide open, and a sudden gasp was heard. Terry immediately took hold of the figure. 

"Easy, easy," Terry said gently. The figure looked at him and then at Yolanda and then back Terry.

"I'd say it worked." The figure said.

Terry nodded, "It did. Thank goodness we performed the compatibility check first. Without it, it would have been the epitome of a crap-shoot."

The figure then asked, "What now?"

Yolanda stepped forward, "We proceed with the general evaluations. Once done, you will be sent on your way as you requested."

The figure nodded, "And everything else has been taken care of for the reversal?"

Terry nodded, "Exactly. Everything you need has been designated to the appropriate safehouses and the most vital elements transported to cold-storage in Otwock.

"Very good." The figure replied, "Well, best, get underway then." Looking to Yolanda, the being gestured, and Yolanda gave a thick packet into the waiting hand. 

"Nice eye for details." The figure replied as the packet was analyzed, "Alright. Well, time to pick out my clothes. Everything else all set?" 

Yolanda nodded, "Just as soon as you're ready."

The figure nodded and walked over to the second white container and pulled the lever. The water was vaporized, and as the door opened, the contents were revealed. The figure nodded, "Excellent work, most excellent." 

Terry nodded, "She'll be implemented and sorted. Everything about her checks out, and everything is up to par, which, admittedly, is shocking given the creation process's expedience." 

"There are a few minor kinks," Yolanda replied, "there's bound to be. But those will be suitably ironed out before being implemented as an active asset."

The figure nodded, "Do what you must, test as much as you need, and condition as much as is required. What matters is that the process works. The finer details are needed as an assurance of fluid functionality and receptiveness both on default designation and direct reception."

The figure turned towards Terry, "Come on, let's see what kind of clothes you picked out. I want to look stunning for my presentation."


	42. Chapter 42

_**AN/Disclaimer: I am happy about this chapter. I have thrilled to have written it. The points of the argument of Johnathan Barrow and his guidance for Sylvia is derived from Ravi Zacharias's interview with Ben Shapiro from an interview in 2016. Therefore, what I have written in the memory tapes is a directly typed transcript and has been inserted without alteration. All rights and property holdings belong to their associated affiliates, and I in no way claim ownership.  
**_

_**Thank you all readers and reviewers, and thanks be to God for providing me the framework for what I needed to progress this chapter. Read, review, and enjoy. See you next chapter.-Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 42

There was a knock at the door, and Aelita gradually awoke to the continued pattern of knocking at her door. Aelita yawned, and after stretching, she opened to see Jim with a box in his arms, and a cot propped against the door.

"Morning, Stones," Jim said as he entered the room, "You'll be getting a new roommate effective immediately." Placing the box in a corner, Jim then headed back outside and brought in the cot from the hall.

Aelita looked at him, "Excuse me, Jim, what about Amelia? What happened to her?"

"Miss. Beck has been relocated to bunk with Claire Girard. After an evaluation of what happened to you two in the gym by Mr. Delmas, we deemed it best for Beck to be moved to be with someone else. It was either that or expulsion. Out of consideration for her father working here on the night shift, we decided that despite the zero-tolerance policy, a one-time warning would suffice to change her tune about her outward aggression."

"I didn't think it would be that much of a problem, Jim. I didn't want her to get into trouble." Aelita said.

"It's not your fault, Aelita. The girl has only herself to blame, she is a hot-head, and we can't exactly have her going off the handle on any student. She has been disciplined, but she will be watched. You'll have a new roommate to bunk with you, and she'll be here around this afternoon."

"What's her name, Jim?" Aelita asked as she sat down on her bed.

"Her name is Jacqueline Gray. I think you will like her, honestly. She seems to be a very smart person, if a bit too quiet, but who am I to judge?"

Aelita looked at him, "What do you mean, too quiet?"

Jim brought in another box and said, "You'll just have to see her for yourself." Jim looked at Amelia's books and her shelves, "Well, best, move this stuff out."

Aelita then said, "Excuse me, Jim. May I get dressed and go about my day before you continue?"

"Of course, sorry. Take the time you need. I'll be down in Claire's room, getting things set up down there, so come get me when you are ready."

Aelita nodded, and Jim headed out. Aelita moved quickly, knowing that Jim had a busy day ahead of him, considering he had to move two students into their respective rooms. Aelita, therefore quickly showered and dressed, and once she was put together, she grabbed her phone and headed down to Claire's room. Jim was cleaning up a few things, and Aelita saw Amelia sitting on a temporary cot while watching Jim.

Aelita knocked on the door, "Jim? The room's ready for you to do what's needed."

Jim nodded, "Thanks, Stones. Come on, Beck, let's get your stuff transferred."

Amelia stood and followed Jim passing by Aelita without a word, but Aelita stopped her, "Milly, a word, please?"

Amelia looked at her, but Aelita noticed something was somewhat off. It was as if Amelia was looking at her but not seeing her, it was a sensation that Aelita found quite strange. Suddenly Amelia spoke, "How may I help you?"

"I just wanted to let you know, I didn't intend for this to happen," Aelita replied.

Amelia nodded and replied, "People don't intend a lot of things. Shit happens, what do you want me to say?"

"Nothing. I just want you to know, I have no hard feelings."

"Oh yeah? Good for you. If you'll excuse me, I have a room to transfer over."

Amelia turned and proceeded to head down the hall, and Aelita's fist clenched, and she whirled around and said, "Hey, you don't have to be such a bitch, you know that, right? You attacked me, do not be pissed because you're held accountable for your actions."

Amelia stopped in her tracks and turned around. She then said, "Oh? So, by your logic, it is natural, and right I am held to account for my actions towards you? Is that right?"

Aelita sighed, "I'm trying to say I bear you no ill will, I didn't want you to be moved out. But to answer your question, yes, you should be held accountable for your actions."

Amelia looked off to the upper right corner of the hall, a smile creeping across her face, "Okay, good to know. See you around."

Amelia walked down the hall at a quicker pace, and Aelita sighed as she headed towards the stairwell. In many ways, Aelita was frustrated. She had tried to make peace with Amelia, but clearly, Amelia wasn't having any of it. As Aelita headed down the stairs, she thought just what that odd smile was about. It didn't comfort her; however, she knew on some fundamental level, she would be held to her stated standards. At this moment, Aelita stopped and gave a yell of frustration that resounded through the stairwell.

Suddenly, the door below burst open, and she saw Yolanda looking upward, "What happened?!"

Aelita remembered herself, but for once, she said, "I'm just letting out my frustrations in the privacy of the stairwell. Think of it as a genuine expression of frustration, a scream."

Yolanda groaned, rolling her eyes, "Don't do that, okay?"

"I'm sorry if it's not exactly conventional, but it had to come out sooner or later," Aelita said as she descended the stairs towards the door.

"Just, just don't do that." Yolanda said as Aelita passed her, "The staff here at Kadic have your safety in mind, first and foremost."

Aelita looked at her, "With respect, Ms. Yolanda, it was a venting process to let out pent-up hostility."

Yolanda's gaze sharpened, "I am aware. However, look at it from my position as the maintainer of the student body. It's hard enough keeping track of sex-starved teens in the throes of rebellion against the established order. To make my job of oversight easier, please, don't cry wolf."

Aelita smiled, "Hyperbolic much?"

Yolanda shrugged, "Dismissive much?"

Aelita's smile faded, "Fair point. Look, I didn't mean to alarm you. I just have a bit on my plate right now, that's all."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Yolanda asked.

Aelita hesitated a moment, "No, well—not right now. I don't think it's that bad yet."

"Well, it's best to nip a problem in the bud before it gets as you say, that bad. However, it's up to you."

Aelita nodded, "I think I'll be alright. Thanks, though."

Yolanda nodded, and after checking her watch, she said, "If there's nothing else you need, I'll be on my way."

Aelita nodded once more, "Thank you, Ms. Yolanda."

As Yolanda headed down the hall, she stopped and turned, "If you need anything, Aelita, I'm here to help. I want you to know that."

"Thank you, Ms. Yolanda. I'll bear that in mind." Aelita replied.

As Yolanda went on her way, Aelita headed out the building and off school grounds towards Yumi's house. As she walked, Aelita reflected on the dialogue she had with Sylvia last night. In many ways, Sylvia's words were harsh. Aelita knew much of what Sylvia was disgusted by was seated within what Sylvia perceived as unfairness. In a way, Aelita understood, perhaps better than Sylvia gave her credit for. The very wording Sylvia used, "joining the rest of us poor humans down here," was evident. Sylvia had seized control of the return to the past function, but it was not so much solely for her vision. It was to show Aelita and the rest of the warriors the real weight of choices.

The underlying cementing proof was another element that again was in Sylvia's statement, "the rest of us poor humans down here." Aelita noticed the particularity of the phrasing, the rest of us poor humans. Aelita stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes as she processed the thought what was in her mind. It was this, "_Why the rest of us poor humans and not the rest of the poor humans?_" She opened her eyes, "_Because no one stepped in to save her or her father. No one pressed the key and rewound time for her. Sylvia's been made to live with the consequences of other people's choices, other people's mistakes, and the worst part is, she didn't ask for it. Is she mad at the world? No, I don't think so, at least, not in the ways most would think. However, she's mad at us because we could negate so much of what all reality, we should not be able to. That is what's really grinding Sylvia's gears and so in doing what she's doing, sure she's fulfilling her own purpose, but she's leveling the playing field."_

Aelita continued to walk towards Yumi's house, but in her mind, she continued to chew the situation over. "_But here's the thing, Sylvia already had access to this degree of control. That was evident when she killed Jeremy. Sylvia gave me a choice, I could restore things to how they were or keep Jeremy alive, not both. She had the control then, which was evident by streamlining everything down to two options. The truth is, she's had the control ever since. So, why make a statement that we now have to reason with her to restore the past?"_ Aelita chuckled to herself, "_Of course. Jeremy's death was an assessment of my character. She said that herself, freely admitting it. Okay. So, for sister dearest, the little weasel, an assessment of willingness to do something is different than a reboot of the past to negate negative consequence."_

Aelita came to Yumi's block,_ "Okay, huh. Interesting how that works for her. If I'm right in theory, Sylvia's not against using a return to the past to learn something. However, she is against the negation of real-world consequence for actions, for her that is unfair. I can see how that would be reasoned. Hmm, now that I think about it, her control of the return to the past is not so much out of fairness, at least—enough. I will think about this later. This whole situation giving me a headache." _

Aelita had arrived at Yumi's door and knocked three times.

Back at Kadic, Yolanda was sitting in the infirmary. As she was reviewing the student files, she decided to take advantage of this relatively free time in her day and patched into her implant. Once she accessed North-Gate's directorate, she accessed Sylvia's line.

"Hello, Florence Nightingale, how are you doing today?" Sylvia asked.

"Hey, do me a favor, will you? I think I have an idea of what's going on, but I want to be sure."

"Alright, what is it?"

"Point blank, have you been doing any nocturnal visits lately?"

"Yeah, I had once with Aelita last night, why?"

"Okay. Glad you told me, that help makes sense of a few things. Look, stop with the nocturnal visits for right now."

"Is something wrong?" Sylvia asked.

"Before I answer your question, answer mine, please. How long was last night's nocturnal visit?"

"Oh, let's see, an hour, maybe a bit over, why?"

"Define what a bit translates to."

"Maybe twenty-five minutes at most."

Yolanda nodded as she reviewed a file, "Look, Sylvie, let me ask you a question. Do you know the overall effects of various elements of the North-Gate protocol? I know you use them frequently, so you must have some knowledge of possible blowbacks. The question is, do you _actively_ know the drawbacks of using various elements of your father's program?"

"I'm aware of them, look, Londie, get to the point, please."

"Hold on a second, I'm accessing the D.R. to look at the usage log," Yolanda replied.

Yolanda looked over the log and timestamps of usage by Sylvia, once done, she said, "Okay, here's the thing. I'm just going to keep it simple. Aelita has evidence of overexposure to the D.R. I can tell because of direct physical evidence of fatigue, stress, and emotional erraticism. You admitted to me you spent an hour and some change on the D.R. with her. That's the issue, sweetheart. The D.R. is not meant to be used for extended periods. To be fair, you could have had an entire phone conversation for the exact duration of time, and we wouldn't have this problem. However, according to your father's notes, the D.R. is meant for no more than thirty-minute uses per targeted person. The reason I say this is because I need to know, were you actively aware of the time limit?"

"No, I really wasn't. I had admittedly accessed the D.R. in prior operations, sure. However, I had not exactly used it on prior missions for the duration I have been with using with Aelita, either. I honestly didn't think so much that D.R. had that much of an adverse impact, but apparently, it does."

Yolanda looked over another student file, "Well, now you know. Now, you are without excuse for any subsequent abuses should they pop up. However, here's the thing. Do you actively know the properties and elements of the D.R. and just _what_ it does?"

"I've been in the machine since I was a girl, Londie, I know what a lot of the overall objective functions are of much of what I have at my disposal."

"But do you know what those components actively do to those who the tools are directed at?"

"Judging by your tone, I think you doubt that I do. However, for the sake of keeping peace in the family, please tell me what the exact problem is. Because Londie, I am against unnecessary discomfort if it can be helped, you are aware of that, aren't you?"

Yolanda shrugged as she looked over another student file, "I've been witness to the fluctuation of the validity of that statement, pending your temper. But yes, I am generally aware of your stance, yes. So, to put it simply, What you initiate with the visits is a higher form of lucid dreaming. The recipient, as a result, is more awake than asleep. Prolong the dream too long, and the subject loses valuable sleep both in the REM spectrum as well as deep sleep needed for bodily rejuvenation. Natural lucid dreaming does, on occasion, disrupt the rejuvenation processes, but not nearly on the level as an enforced lucid state.

While you may not have had adverse effects in our prior operations, consider what's changed. You are using the tool a lot more than you have been, you are also protracting the duration of the overall sessions. It serves as a common-sense conclusion that vastly increased duration of usage, especially on targeted individuals, will have the associated side-effects. While it may theoretically help you in the avenues of argument, it is far from desired, and your recent uses deviate from your father's original intentions for the device."

Yolanda took out a few more files to evaluate, and she continued, "Honestly, it's not surprising that with the time that you spent with Aelita last night, she is in her current state."

"Wait, what exactly is her issue right now?" Sylvia asked.

"The issue is that you overexposed Aelita to the D.R.'s elements. As such, she is literally running on not only fumes, but in her state, I can tell that she's essentially operating on no sleep as well as what equates to a hangover."

"That's standard for most college students after a drunken frat party," Sylvia replied.

"But she's not a frat student in her twenties, she's a teenager entering sophomore year of high school. Suffice, to say, cool it with the D.R. at least for now. She needs her sleep. If you wish to speak with her, go along the lines we have set up. You have the resources, you had us bust our humps for those resources, so _use _them."

"Why are you angry at me? Admittedly, yes, I may have been a tiny bit zealous in the use of the D.R., but that's hardly a reason for you to lash out at me. You know how a lot of this stuff works, you've known for years, why are you pissed now?"

Yolanda was about to yell, but she altered her mind, "Look, I'm just pointing it out. There are simpler methods to get what we all need for the completion of the North-Gate vision. Work smarter, not harder. It will do you no good to convince a group of warriors to join us if the warriors are worn to the nub, will it?"

"I get your point, Londie, no need to talk to me like I'm a child incapable of knowing my ass from my elbow. Besides, are you not aware of what we have been doing over the last two weeks? You should because you oversaw the processes. Trust me, I more than get the whole aspect of working smarter, not harder."

"Then, if you know all this, Sylvie, why the hell are you doing all this extra stuff? You made three nodes, we had to scrap two. You made an additional two afterward. My question, what does the operation benefit from making the nodes, apart from waste core resources and risk premature exposure? Because fuck it, I'll just say it, I question a lot of your rationality at times. It doesn't make sense!"

Sylvia replied, "You and I simply think of and weigh these things differently. I have a reason for doing as I must do. I always do. Now, is it always convenient for those of our group when things must change out of necessity? No, but such sacrifice is necessary to better suit the people at large. I understand what you are saying and your concerns. Rest assured, I am doing what must be done. If there are slight birthing pains, that you may see as a waste of resources, so be it. You cannot deny it is a far sight better than our hostile takeovers of the past. Yolanda, I care for you, I deeply respect your skills, and rest assured, I hear your concerns. I will honor your insight. I will look at my father's layout for various program uses as well as other extension programs.

However, please do not assume I am ignorant of what I do when it comes to the grand design of things. However slight, augmentations in the formula have the purpose of ensuring a smoother realization of the end-goal. There are some drawbacks with augmentations to a plan that is to be expected. Just like you and your revolutionary concepts to the world of medicine. You faced opposition to how you attempted things, even reasoned them to the numerous boards of the world.

You made peace with the fact people will not always agree with your visions, let alone how you achieved them. That is why you were considered to join North-Gate in the first place. Yes, you and Rickey and Terry grew up together, but it was your personal love and dedication to a vision of progress, Terry even brought you up as a recommendation. I saw your talents; they were marvelous and revolutionary in thought. You needed only the resources and the allowances to do what you aspired to do to realize your purpose. You made mistakes as we all have. Yolanda, my sweet sister, did I hold those mistakes against you? Did I ever raise my hand or voice in anything but friendship towards you?"

Yolanda was silent as she looked at the student's picture before her. After a moment, she replied, "No, no, you didn't."

"That's right. Because failing is necessary to advance, criticism is needed, but one need not be a boorish cad and devoid of sensitivity towards another's situations. I know you spent countless hours, days, and months perfecting our medicine. There were sacrifices and failures, as with anything. But you developed your formulas and administration methods. In time, though enough chances, you came to master your craft. I have my weaknesses; I do not dare say I don't. I ask of you to be patient with me as I find a proper footing, just as I have been patient with you and indeed all our family.

I've had to unlearn a lot of things when we became rooted, a lot of bad, even horrid habits. I am _trying_, Londie, I'm working very hard to do what is right. If I come off as an ass, it is not out of so much being one. But I know what to expect out of people, despite their pretenses to the opposite."

Yolanda finished her batch of files, and after placing the data into one of her desk drawers said, "I have a serious question for you. I need an honest answer because it is something that's been in my mind since we came here. Have you grown to hate humanity?"

There was silence, profound silence. Yolanda was apprehensive as she could feel her heart beating in her chest. She spoke, "Sylvia? Did you hear me?"

The silence continued, then finally came the response, "I hate what humanity does—not so much humanity itself. In a way, you all do as well; otherwise, you would not have walked with me this long."

"You've tried to share your vision with Aelita, haven't you?"

"It doesn't matter. Aelita doesn't think much of it, that much I can tell. She thinks I am too extreme that I have too broad statements that I'm even hyperbolic. I can tell all of this how she values what I say and her usual lack of response. Despite that, I'm grateful in a way; I don't want her to become like I am. I want to hide the truth from her, I want to shelter her in that regard. I know she lost her father; we share that in common, more than she realizes. More than anyone would say when it comes down to the cold facts. The thing is, Londie, I know how to attain true peace—so do you. You equally know as I do, it requires a price none are willing to pay because it's unthinkable to them."

"I know. I know, Sylvie. I know very well where you come from. You're right, we know the ultimate price is what is needed to achieve what people desire. But just as you said, people would rather die first if faced with it. Eh—that's being generous. They'd rather kill us first. Them dying is the last thing on their minds."

"I know, Londie. We've had this discussion many times. And I'm not going to belabor the point. We _all _know what must be done. We're going to give the people exactly what they want, but it's kinda' funny because they don't know what they want. They think they do, but they do not. Or rather, they may know but are not willing to do what is necessary. Either way, soon, we will be underway with what must be done. This is the final stretch of groundwork before everything begins officially. So, you, Terry, all of us, we may as well enjoy this little bit of relaxation before we report to work in a few days."

"So, what's new with you? What's on your mind concerning the next few days?"

"I'm honestly going to take a holiday. I am tired, and I need some relaxation. Some rest, education, some commonplace normalcy before the ushering in of the end of society. The small stuff every child should have."

"Mmm. Can I say this, though?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"You've come a long way from where you began."

"I appreciate that. I think we all have, Londie. It's a matter of perspective. Evidence of our work has proven as far as we continue to go, the less that has been done, the more naive the populace is. That's a good thing, a kernel of innocence and, in that innocence, a chance to make things better. We know they won't agree with us and that's fine. We know what must be done, but we cannot be absolutists. That's the one thing I have learned most, especially after a comprehensive assessment of all mankind's actions. We must keep our options open and have democratic functions. But the functions should be minimal in number, but to nuance that, they must be impactful in purpose. But we're working on it. As Amelia likes to say, 'Baby steps.'"

"You're no longer an absolutist?" Yolanda asked as she got up and checked out the window, "That's new. Why the change?"

"I have a lot of reasons. I will, however, rationalize it like this. You and I are both women, so my analogy will be easier to understand. An allowance of democratic values and staving off authoritarian tendencies is akin to the crime of rape. Bear with me. You see, if I were to force my standards as I have in the past upon an unwilling people, there would be all manner of objection because it is blatant disregard and forcing my ideals and visions upon them. What is rape? It is the unwanted forceful, willful sexual act of the oppressing party upon the unwilling.

Therefore, I have decided, instead of having my standard forced upon the people, the people will police themselves, but instead of just having my norm, I will adhere to the element of universal moral laws. The people and how they act will be judged accordingly to them. I am using this approach because the nature of people, by and large, is driven by what I'd call a heart matter over a brain matter. The punishment accordingly will be weighed in calibration by what they do. I'm not going to punish a garden-variety thief to someone equal to that of Hitler."

Yolanda thought on this, "Heart matter over a brain matter, what does that mean?"

Sylvia replied, "Think of it like this, people, in fact, most people regarding aspects of law and indeed most aspects of good and evil. They know the laws exist; they know punishments exist. Logically, they know punishment exists due to crime, but in their hearts, they do not want those consequences of their actions to be realized. This is what I have learned through my many years and observations. There is a difference and between regret and repentance. You can regret it without being repentant. Most people, for example, are caught speeding, so many of them regret being caught but are not repentant. Most people would say, "Man, I knew he was there, why didn't I slow down? I need to get a detector!" Thus, this individual _regrets_, but they do not _repent. _On this basis, Calypso will be calibrated as an active measure against the people to reign in the darker elements of their free will."

Yolanda was silent a moment, and then she spoke, "So, you have gone from absolutism to moralism. It's not true you are abandoning moralistic views; you are just not being as heavy-handed as you once were. Instead of bold declarations of right and wrong, you will let humanity tell on itself and appraise them from the raw data."

"It's not like they won't know the laws I have as a standard for my vision. They will more than know, and they will be told of said consequences. Their willingness to abide by the law or not will be calibrated and analyzed by Calypso. Based on their own performances both in the realms of the public-eye and under anonymity. However, anonymity will be more intensely scrutinized. My point being, they will know the laws and their consequences if broken. Because the laws will be rooted in principles. I make this distinction because, without principles, people will try and get away with anything."

Yolanda got up and took a deep breath and exhaled, "Sylvia, I know where you come from, I more than understand. Sylvia, let me ask you, your father—did you know what he did apart from his work on North-Gate and for the state?"

"I've not exactly delved into that portion; I was more focused on his notes regarding North-Gate and how to utilize it as best I could. Why do you ask?"

"Your father was an excellent scholar in terms of many aspects of theology. Did you know that?"

"We had some conversations, but I remember many of them as genuinely being just over my head. I mean for goodness sake, I was ten, eleven at the time. I did not exactly want to talk about God and those kinds of things; I just wanted to play."

Yolanda nodded, "Okay. Well, your father had a lot of conversations with Terry. Regardless of whether you remember your conversations with your father, you are echoing a lot of key points that he had himself. The thing is, I do not think you know it. Your whole head vs. heart aspect, that's very good. But your father brought this whole thing up to Terry about two years before your mother betrayed your father. Would you like for me to play for you the audio-log your father made with Terry?"

Sylvia paused, "What's it called?"

"It's under the file, _Foundations of the Just Leader._ May I play you the log?"

Sylvia hesitated, "Sure, go ahead."

Yolanda accessed the file and sent it to Sylvia, "I'm not going to play it for you. But I want you to please listen to it. I want you to, please listen to it and chew it over. You wanted an education, well, here is your education. Sylvia, I will see you soon. Before you listen, please know what your father has left not just for you, but for all of us who he knew on some level would join the project."

Yolanda disconnected, and she gave a sigh as she checked her watch. It was nearly lunch-time. Meanwhile, Sylvia looked at the file before her, Sylvia took a deep breath and began the log.

Sylvia heard her father's voice, gentle and soft as it always was, "Terry, I'm glad you've decided to meet with me today."

"Of course, anytime, John." Terry replied as he was heard to sit in a chair, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's about Sylvia. She's taken much of what I have said to heart. However, I feel our time together is hardening her heart. It's making what was once a warm and cheerful and hopeful heart, icy."

"If you will forgive me, John, you were never exactly one for tact, especially on points you deem important to know for growth."

"I know, and you know Sylvia's intelligence, you know that. But I fear she's seen too much. I fear in my zeal that I have given her too much knowledge before she is suitably equipped to deal with it."

"Oh, John, I warned you against this kind of thing! She's a child! You can't let her enjoy innocence that is natural for that time to herself?"

"Terry, I know where your anger comes from. Ideally, yes, she should be allowed to enjoy her childhood. But, my fear is with how things have shaped themselves over the past few years, my time with her is nearly up."

"You mean Anthea, don't you?"  
"Her and those she serves. I have a mounting suspicion that only builds more and more over time. That is why I need to teach Sylvia all she needs to know now, so she doesn't' exactly forget. I know she finds my lessons tedious at times, on the flip side, as I had to reflect in the last week, I think she's learned, only too well."

"How do you mean, only too well?"

"She's becoming the moralist very much. She sees things as good and evil, and the subsequent good and evil that exists in the world, in her mind, results from humanity's direct actions upon the world. I asked her how she would approach this if she had to, Sylvia responded that she would have humanity police themselves. Terry, Sylvia would let all of humanity trap themselves by their own actions, and then she would judge them."

Terry nodded, "I don't exactly agree with it, but it's an attempt at a solution. It's better than none, John. However, a viable issue would be if, in this mindset, she didn't hold herself to her own standards."

"That's the thing, Terry. Sylvia teeters between absolutist and between that of the moralist. Both of which I would call cousins unto one another. The authoritarian is just more blatant and honest in what they desire. Their regime is more often than not, transparent. The moralist, at least as Sylvia's concerned, is murky. But, her reasoning is that it's murky because it needs to be. She believes the public does not need to know the measure they are scrutinized, believing that under the principle that the Hawthorne Effect established, they will act differently if the public knew they were being observed."

"Johnathan, brother, why does this concern you?"

"I'm afraid for the first part because I fear I may have taught her too much. I fear for the second part because I know where her heart lies, but sadly, moralism will not save humanity as she hopes it will. In fact, I believe she knows of the fluctuation in societal morality itself. However, I have begun to teach Sylvia in a select aspect that I feel as crucial.

I told her that to me, and in time I hope for her, the most important phrase in the ten commandments, which I don't believe there's a better moral framework. Starting with the very being of God and all the way to the sacredness of my life, my neighbor's life, my neighbor's marriage, and property, going back thirty-five hundred years ago. The most critical phrase being, "I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the land of Egypt." That redemption is prior to righteousness, and then righteousness leads on to worship. So, when you get to Exodus twenty, and you deal with beautiful moral law, you move five chapters later into the tabernacle and framework of reference; I think it is the only answer to the change of heart to the moral framework.

But here is the scary thing, and this is what I'm trying to teach Sylvia before my time comes: God did not send us his message to make bad people good. Morality alone will never save us. Sometimes in the name of morality, people have done some horrible things. It is the fact that the heart needs redemption, and forgiveness and redemption precedes righteousness. So, as I am teaching Sylvia, as for morality evolving as some will claim, we have known what it was all about right from the beginning.

So, what happens in the first three chapters of Genesis happens in this world _every day_. What happened in the Temptation Saga is very critical. "In the day you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you will die." That is the word of God. The enemy of our souls comes in and says, "Uh-uh, you will be as God, knowing good and evil." That has been the battle for millennia. What is the battle? To allow God to be God or to play God. What happened when Adam and Eve are confronted, "I didn't do it, the serpent did." The idea of violating the authority of God and becoming autonomous and blaming everything else, this is not evolved! This goes back over three millennia, and we challenge it every day. Such as, "We do not believe in absolutes, we have autonomy." So, on the one hand, we claim autonomy, and when we go wrong, we blame someone else. So, I do not accept morality can evolve. Go back a millennium, and you see the value of human life and the value of moral law."

"So, let me ask, John, you fear you have done too much, taught Sylvia too much, what will you do to remedy this?" Terry asked

"When the time comes, Terry, I have calibrated North-Gate to keep you alive. You will be Sylvia's lynchpin to what she knew as a child. You and your friends. I know you share my vision, and I know your hearts are good. But I ask you to watch over Sylvia. She has a great heart, but I do not wish to see it tainted and turned so cold by the world, it may as well be a heart of stone. And that is why when the inevitable comes, and I know Anthea will do as she will do, I have a plan. I have programmed North-Gate to repress Sylvia's memories of her childhood and to repress much of my lessons. In time, they will come back, and her heart change will be genuine because they will be triggered to come back. I know this because I have given your friend Heidi the timetable to do what must be done."

"What would you advise my friends and me to do until your lessons take root?" Terry asked.

"Have Sylvia learn the hard truths of the world, the hard truths of society. I more than know they will grieve her, I more than know it will harden her. Once that is done, follow the timetable, lesson by lesson. Fire them off, have her reason her actions, and never concede to her impulses. But Terry, for you, I need you to love her, guide her, and be patient with her."

"But John, you said you know this will agonize your daughter. Why expose her to the dreck of humanity the first thing? Why fill her with hate and disdain as you know will very likely happen?"

"Because you don't know my daughter. It is in her nature to fix a broken system, and if a system in her mind is imperfect, she will think for days or weeks to improve those imperfections. However, it would help you more to think of it like this. The pain she experiences, the harshness of the world, and humanity will serve as her fire, her motivation. Her anger will burn like fire, her rage will go mad at times, but those tantrums are necessary. When those elements happen, have Heidi put her into the system and spark the most relevant lesson to a situation."

"Of course. John, if there are any last words you could tell Sylvia, what would they be?" Terry asked.

"Sylvia, when you hear this, as at some point you undoubtedly will, when faced by the everyman and asked to distinguish was is a sin versus immoral, i.e., between biblically sinful and moral on a naturalistic level such as adultery among others. When asked if there is a difference, remember what I say, "Sin is a vertical term, it is not merely a horizontal term. When David sinned with Bathsheba and repents towards God in Psalm fifty-one. He says, "Against you, and only you have I sinned and done this evil in your sight." Sin is a vertical thing; morality can very easily become a horizontal term. And this is what you will find, Sylvia, that this is where society will ground themselves.

When society only talks about a moral framework, if you go to India, moral reasoning is very different from the West. Sin is a violation not of something abstract, but a violation of a personal command. When the prodigal son returns, he says, "I have sinned against heaven and against you." In that order. Humans will take the vertical and make it horizontal. In all our moral struggles, to put it simply, in debunking the notion of sin and talking only morality, humanity has ended up with a dead-end word that people cannot really relate to. Sylvia, when you observe these things as you will by North-Gate's programs, such as homelessness and all manner of all things else, you have to remember that humanity has lost its purpose.

What do I mean by this? If you take a car and run amok in a crowd and kill them, can you blame the manufacturer? The manufacturer will say, "We meant this for transportation." So, humanity has run amok with our values, and then we blame our creator. So, your view of morality, Sylvia, is splendid, especially for civil co-existence. But morality alone will not save humanity. But you have thought ahead, and I give you credit. Because you have devised an accountability factor not merely for moral reasoning but for the recognition that life at its core is sacred. The desecularization of life is at the heart of what has happened. We do not know what it means to be human, and we have no foundation to stand on in losing that definition.

However, in time you will be faced with the left and right sides of an argument, Sylvia. You very much will be. You need to understand this, do not confine yourself to thinking left and right, think up and down. I spoke to a leader in Washington a while before this all began. He said, "There's one word that divides us on Capitol Hill, just one word, God. If he exists or doesn't exist." If God does not exist, Sylvie, the terms liberal or conservative, are no more than purely pragmatic terms. Look at Stalin. He believed in God being a seminary student at one point. However, his last gesture was shaking his fist towards the heavens one more time, throwing his head back and dying, having taken the lives of twenty-million of his own people. But to the point, we must agree at least on one definition, until then, humanity will not progress. What does it mean to be human? Are we just a grade of higher animals, or are we fundamentally different? Until this is answered, we cannot explain why marital fidelity is important, why I need to be a good father, why I need to be a good citizen. However, what you need to understand for your own citizens and for your own self, Sylvia, a good citizen is willing to accept the value of every human life and exist with different world views.

You, Sylvia-Anna, have to determine as a leader to be either lead a secularly conscious people or accept there a transcendent framework of value with me and you will all of our differences that we can cordially sit back and even agree to disagree, give each other a hug and say, "Hey man, here we go." What you need to look out for is this, the two words, egalitarianism and elitism.

Egalitarianism bringing equality. We, as humans having egalitarianism right, all humans are created equal. Elitism, we do not believe all ideas are equal. Some ideas are superior to others. Naturalistic framework dangerously reversed this over time, as you will see. We made an elitism of people and egalitarianism of ideas. That is the danger you face. So, the elitists would tell us if our thoughts or good or not. I must respect you, and you must respect others, but you can say your ideas and mine are not the same. Let us reason them through and see why."

At that moment, a hand was felt on Sylvia's shoulder, "Excuse me?"

Sylvia turned her face, and she looked at who addressed her, "Yes? She asked gently.

"Hello, I'm Aelita Stones, are you my new roommate?"

"So, it would seem," Sylvia said with a smile. She stood and gently shook Aelita's hand, "Pleased to meet you, Aelita. My name is Jacqueline Gray."


	43. Chapter 43

_**AN: I'm excited to present you with this chapter. Admittedly I had a bit of writer's block this week as well as encountering a few delays. However, with persistence and a few prayers, I was able to pull through. Thank you for all those who continue to read and review my work. I'll see you next chapter, and I hope you are staying safe during this uncertain time.-Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 43

It was morning, and Aelita woke and stretched, but as she opened her eyes, she saw Jacqueline resting peacefully on the cot that Jim had set up. Amelia's belongings had been moved out, and the only thing of Jacqueline's that she had was a large suitcase that, as Aelita had read about in some of her history books, was a not even a suitcase but an antique steamer trunk. She saw the initials S.B. emblazoned in brass on the top of the lid. 

Aelita gently went over to the trunk, and once she was sure Jacqueline was still sleeping, Aelita gently opened the trunk after carefully opening the securing latches. The lid was hefty, heavier than Aelita had thought. On the inside of the lid was a small plaque that read, "Gifted to Simone De Balfour by her father, Jacques de Balfour, for her accomplishments in the field of medicine."-1913. 

Aelita looked in the trunk. Inside were meticulously folded shirts and pants. All of them folded so perfectly that they were individual small rectangles stacked with no way of telling how many high she had. They were so perfectly layered, Aelita felt she was looking at a chest filled with what might as well have been gold bullion. On the edges of the stacks were small bottles on the top and two traditional bottles of the left and right sides. The bottles on the left were body soaps, the first of lavender, the second of cilantro oil, and powdered pumice. Looking at the bottles on the right, Aelita found bottles of shampoo and conditioner containing jasmine and honeysuckle, respectively. As Aelita inspected the shampoo and conditioner bottles, she found a small packet of Lactaid pills as well as a small prescription bottle. Aelita looked at the label, and it read Risperidone-3mg. Take once before bedtime. 

Aelita put all these articles back, and she very gently put the lid back down. Her eyes went wide, however, as she saw Jacqueline's shining grey eyes staring back at her. Aelita's eyes went wide as if she were a deer trapped in the headlights. 

"Did you like what you saw?" Jacqueline asked.

"I—I…"

"Were curious? Nosey? Invasive of my privacy? Yes, on all counts. But that is not the question. Did you like what you saw?"

"Uh, it's very ordered. I can say that." Aelita said with a nervous smile.

"Question, why not just ask me what was in my trunk? Why wait to get into it while I slept like a sneak-thief?"

"Curiosity." Aelita replied, "Pure and simple."

"You still could have woken me. It's a thing of common courtesy, or did your parents not teach you common social graces?"

"I didn't have any parents to teach me, so in the grand scale, no," Aelita replied as she snapped shut the clasps of the trunk and headed back to her bed.

Jacqueline looked at her, "Don't expect pity from me concerning parental abandonment. Empathy, yes. But do not expect pity. Consider that I am now teaching you this one social grace that could likely save your life in the future. In so doing, I am performing a greater kindness for you than I think most have judging by your reaction." 

Aelita looked at her, roommate, "How do you distinguish the two?" 

"I can very easily put myself in the emotional shoes of another; the more they tell me about themselves. I can, therefore, assess things from how they would in a given situation. As nice a gift as it is, it's troubling at times." 

"So, you're telling me, the more I tell you of myself, the more you'd likely see things from my point of view?" Aelita asked.

"That is a window-dressing version of it, but yes. Let me clarify, I can understand you and everyone from an emotional standpoint the more I am told more about themselves, _from _themselves. I emphasize this point because anyone can say anything about you, it is hardly ever true. You have to engage with a person one on one to get the true story." 

Aelita nodded, "And what if people lie in what they tell you?"

"Well, in my shoes, I have to account for that, they might lie simply they just don't trust me yet. And that's a ubiquitous thing. Bear in mind, however, that most people just will not answer when it comes to certain subjects. However, even if they do lie, then the truth is in the face, it's in the eyes. You can say whatever you want, your natural nature cannot hide from someone like me. Even then, if you do pull off a bald-faced lie, well, there's as the old saying goes, "Every lie has a portion of truth in it." 

Aelita nodded, "So, let me ask, you're not mad that I took a peek in your trunk?"

"Eh, it's a small thing on the surface, so I'm not too mad. But for future reference, I'd be careful if I were you. To quote Dumbledore, "Curiosity is not a sin, Harry. But you should exercise caution." Some people take those offenses very personally, and in the words of my stepfather, "They'll split your wig for that." Under the same token, my father was a man very much in and out of the penal system, more than he'd care to admit."

"Your stepfather was a criminal?" Aelita asked.

"More than that. Daddy was a career criminal. Drug use, drug dealing, money-laundering, fencing, extortion, a few money debt-collection, and moneylending services, among others. I was raised by him for a while, then I was transferred over a foster family."

"So, you're a foster child?"

"I don't prefer to term it like that, personally. I think of foster families as the scrap industry family. I was taken out of my stepfather's care for what I'm sure to many could be obvious reasons, and I was resituated at around age ten with my scrapper family who took me in."

"Scrapper family." Aelita said as she pondered the terminology, "Honestly, I have never heard it termed quite that way before."

"Well, think of it much like this. Most people, when their cars or the like are used up, what do they do? They go to a chop shop or scrapyard. The shop chops up a car or whatever and sells the scrap for profit. To be a foster family is literally the same principle. Instead of metal, they deal with people. If one is disabled like my brother Colten, they get a sweet, sweet disability check on top of what they normally get for a kid. In many ways, they make a killing from more specialty cases. Add to that, as a foster family can make a more powerful punch if they raise productive members of society."

Aelita paused as she thought about this, "So, do you like your foster family?" 

"Sure. They were nice enough. But in time, I was adopted by a couple out of Maine. Since then, well, I've been tracking down the remnants of my birth-family that exist."

"Oh, okay. I thought foster families were your family." Aelita said.

"Well, they can be. However, I was fortunate enough to be adopted, so it was not so bad. I mean, some foster families are okay, but others, eh—not so much. There is some stuff in a foster home that, sure, while the people are nice, a lot of us kids had to fend for ourselves. Think of it as premature Lord of the Flies." 

"Lord of the Flies? What's that about exactly? I've heard of it but never read," Aelita asked. 

"A book by Golding about the degradation of society if kids were left to their own devices. As much as I like the read, I do think he was a tiny bit biased. But then, he's not ungrounded if his views as a general thing. I mean, the guy was a schoolteacher. That said, would you say that most adults lose an idea of what it's like to be a kid, let alone a teenager at times?" 

"Lose an idea of youth?" Aelita asked, "Well, I think that depends on your viewpoint and what you classify as what being a like a kid or teenager is. But, overall, I think some adults do lose sight of the fact we do have lives outside of the classrooms. I mean, sure, academics matter, good grades matter if you want to excel, but not to the point where you're miserable drudges."

"Exactly." Jacqueline got up, "So, you live around here. What's there to do?"

"Nothing much, honestly. It's summer break. Not much will happen for a little bit. But, in terms of general fun—we have a movie theater nearby. There are quite a few places to eat, but a lot of us just hang out with our friends." 

Jacqueline nodded, "Okay, sounds fun. Would you mind introducing me to a few people? The only ones I know really are Jean-Pierre, Jim, and your nurse, Mr. Beck."

Aelita nodded, "Sure. Oh, a point of reference, Beck is not our principal nurse. That honor belongs to Ms. Yolanda Perrudin."

"Ah, okay. Thanks. What's this Yolanda like?"

"She's nice. She's helped me out of a lot of issues, my friends, and me. And you cannot really miss her. Apart from Nicole, Mr. Delmas's secretary, she is the only blonde woman in the school."

"Of course. Well, let us head out then." Jacqueline said.

"Not just yet. I'm going to shower first, then I'll show you around."

"When I said, head out, what did you expect? We'd just go socializing and hobnobbing without being presentable?" Jacqueline said with a smile and roll of her eyes.

"Well, in fairness, you didn't say we were going to the showers, now did you?" Aelita said, cocking her eyebrow and smiling.

Jacqueline smiled back, "Cute." She got out of her bed and got on the other side of her trunk, "I have a feeling you're one for technicalities." Jacqueline said as she snapped open her chest and took out the lavender body wash with jasmine shampoo. She lifted three shirts out of her trunk, took out a lilac-colored rob, and laid it down before putting two of the shirts back. She reached into the far back of the chest and took out a loofa and a small twenty-five-inch towel.

"Only when it helps me win an argument." Aelita said as she went to her dresser and took out two shampoos and took her own robe from the nearby table, "Besides, it's like I've learned, vagueness in anything, be it a conversation, contract, or otherwise protects the part that didn't draft it. That's just how the law works."

Jacqueline nodded and stood with her clothing and soaps in hand, "Alright, well to the showers then."

As the girls went down to the showers, Jacqueline looked over the hall layout noting the various girls going to and fro, some to the showers, some back to their dorm rooms. In time they reached the shower rooms, and Aelita and Jacqueline set themselves up in stalls across from each other.

Aelita said, "A word of caution, Jacqui. Because of the high traffic, the showers get in the mornings like this, it's not uncommon for hot water to be gone very quickly. So, if you get blasted by ice-water, don't be surprised."

Jacqueline nodded and turned on the cold water first, and the sheer blast of the cold felt like the sub-arctic. It a shock to her system; that was for sure. However, Jacqueline decided to work quickly. She lathered up her sponge and began to scrub swiftly and thoroughly. If her estimations were correct, she knew she didn't have long to wait for the utmost benefit of the hot water; at the same time, she had no time to waste while it was active. 

Aelita, for her part, was looking over the body of her roommate. As she showered. Her body was surprisingly well-developed for her age. Not that such a thing was precisely unexpected, but she knew that in the words of Odd, "She's a knockout." Jacqueline had it all; slender legs, perfectly proportioned feet, her hands were long and thin, her abdomen very well on the way to becoming sculpted, and her breasts were more significant than most in the grade, but not outrageously so. Even so, her breasts were on Yumi's level, if anything else. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black, but not quite. Aelita turned, and she resumed the shower. 

Despite her not looking directly at Aelita, Jacqueline could feel the girl's eyes on her body. Jacqueline knew this was very much to be expected. A new girl enters the pool, and immediately she's assessed by the one closest to her. This did not bother her; she knew this was the way of the world. How Aelita treated her on a personal level as opposed to the public would be one of genuine interest. Through experience, Jacqueline knew very well the private sphere was far more heated than the public façade for most girls. Her waiting time was up. Jacqueline turned on the hot water full blast, and the welcoming soothing relief of the water on her skin was practically a godsend. She sighed, and she could successfully implement her routine. She knew she had at best eight minutes to make the most of the water. 

Once their showers were finished, the girls dried off and headed back to their room. As Aelita got dressed, Jacqueline did as well when Aelita turned around and saw her roommate, she had to say, she loved what she saw. Converse dark blue shoes, form-fitting midnight blue jeans, a plain light-pink shirt, and hair secured in a ponytail.

"You look really nice," Aelita said. 

"Thanks, as do you. Now, let us comingle amongst the rest of our acne-ridden cohorts."

Aelita looked at her, "Do you always talk that way?"

"Not always. But, if I feel dramatic flourish is needed, you betcha."

Aelita rolled her eyes and smiled, "Come on, I'll introduce you to some friends of mine."

The two went passed Jeremy's room, which Jacqueline realized on her way past it; however, she knew better than to say anything. She followed Aelita down the stairwell and out into the central courtyard of Kadic. 

As they approached Jim, Aelita said, "Excuse me, Jim."

Jim turned and faced the two, "Oh, hey, Stones and Gray. What's up?"

"We were hoping if you wouldn't mind if I headed over to Yumi's for a little bit today. I'll be back around lunchtime." 

Jim nodded, "Alright, I'll be looking for you both at roll call, so don't be late." 

The two headed off campus towards Yumi's house, and as they walked, Jacqueline looked around at all the car as well as every house they passed by.

"So, is this your first time coming to France?" Aelita asked.

"Yes, admittedly. But I had to pass enough of remedial French lessons before I would be allowed to come over. Even then, my French is passable, I suppose." 

"But Jacqui, you speak French beautifully."

"Not as much as I'd like. I get by with what I know, what I don't know I have to give even rougher translations."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. French isn't a lot of people's language of choice. But more accept it than don't."

"I can more than see the logic in using it in the job's fields, I can assure you of that."

Aelita stopped and looked at her, "Is that what you see language as? Nothing more than a tool to be used?"

"Doesn't everybody on some level? I mean, I saw that your school offers Italian, for example. I know that many of our associates would rather die than elect to take a foreign language. However, why does your school offer it? Because they see language as I do, a key to a gate holding more opportunities, the more you know of a language or languages."

Aelita looked at her, "To synopsis, you see language as little more than a tool to be used. Correct?"

Jacqueline sighed, "You can have an immense appreciation of a language; of that, I have no doubt. However, to love a language? It seems a waste of emotion as well as resources unless in some evanescent field that it applies as anthropology or archeology for the sake of historical research."

"You could have just started with what you just said and saved time," Aelita said. Jacqueline looked at her more annoyed than anything, "Don't worry." Aelita said as she burst out laughing, "My God! You are so serious about this simple little thing! You're taking all the fun out of the conversation." Aelita said as she continued laughing. Aelita collected herself as she focused on Jacqueline's face that was Nothing more than stoic. 

Aelita shook her head, "You're just like a friend of mine you're going to meet. The rate he talks and how he talks to our other friends, I must translate for him too so he can blend in with the rest of the world. Don't take it as an offense, come on."

Jacqueline nodded and replied, "He sounds charming. Let's meet him."

Aelita then said, "First, you have to test the ultimate humanity test." 

Jacqueline's eyes went wide a little bit, and Aelita saw this, "Tell me a joke." 

Jacqueline's eyes relaxed, "I—I don't know any jokes."

"Oh, come on! You know jokes. Everybody knows at least one. Come on, Jacqui. Just one."

Jacqueline looked at Aelita and, after a moment, replied, "Okay. A young Jewish man has been sitting amongst the rabbis of his village for several months, learning all he can. He has grown increasingly frustrated with the rabbis as they keep answering his questions with questions. He sits down with the head rabbi and says, "You know, I'm really tired of your answering my questions with another question. Why can't you just give me a straight answer!?" The head rabbi sits there and contemplates, and after about five minutes, he asks the young man, "So, how would you propose we answer?" 

Aelita nodded, "And?"

"That's it. That's the joke."

Aelita sighed, "You really need to work on your humor repertoire. Don't worry. I have a friend, Odd, who can help you out."

"Odd? That's his name or a nickname of sorts?" Jacqueline replied.

Aelita turned and continued walking as she replied, "No, that's his name. His parents are more uninhibited people when it comes to creative spontaneity."

"They sound a lot like some people I knew. So what are the rest of your friends like?"

"Well, there's Yumi, Ulrich, and Jeremy." 

"And what is Yumi like?" Jacqueline asked.

"She's really nice. Her family is originally from Japan, and they've been very good to me. Her mother seems a bit tightly wound, but that's a given I think with her job. And her father is a very relaxed, easy-going guy, but he can be a bit too soft, you know what I mean?"

"No, I don't know. What do you mean?"

"Well, he's passive, and in many ways, we feel while he may have a semblance of free will, it's really Mrs. Ishiyama who holds power in the house."

Jacqueline nodded and proceeded to follow Aelita until they came to Yumi's house. Aelita knocked, and Yumi opened the door. 

"Aelita, it's good to see you!" she saw Jacqueline, "And who's this?"

"This is Jacqueline. She's the roommate that replaced Amelia after our debacle."

Yumi nodded, looking at the girl behind Aelita and came out and said, "Well, okay then. Hello, I'm Yumi Ishiyama."

Jacqueline gripped her hand, and Yumi noticed the hands were warm, warmer than usual, but the palms were callused. The grip very firm but not a crushing grip. Jacqueline replied, "Jacqueline. Pleasure."

Yumi nodded, releasing her hand, "Come in, meet the rest of us."

Yumi and Aelita went in first, and Jacqueline followed, and once inside, she removed her shoes. Jeremy and Odd were sitting on the couch, and the girls sat adjacent form the boys, Yumi in her father's chair, and Aelita on an ottoman. Jacqueline looked around, and after a moment, she advanced and sat next to Aelita on the floor. Jacqueline looked at the two boys, and the boys looked back in turn.

"Hey, beautiful," Odd said, the first to get up, "What's your name?"

Jacqueline took his hand and stood, towering over him by at least a foot, "Jacqueline. Pleased to meet you, Odd."

The group looked at her, and Odd replied, "How do you know I'm Odd? I could be Jeremy or Ulrich, Jacqueline."

"You could be. But I consider your demeanor, your presentation of yourself, you are too forward to be a Jeremy and too much an exuberant persona to be an Ulrich. Ergo, you must be Odd. Also, a man named Odd may as well embrace his oddity given to him by his parents. Besides, your clothes, very much suggest you are Odd. What self-respecting man apart from one who knowingly possesses the appropriate physical features to carry it off would wear purple?"

"Oh, that's nice, really nice, Jacqueline." Odd said, jerking his hand from her, "Self-respecting man? Are you serious?"

"Most men do not dress as flamboyantly as you do. However, as I said, you have physical features to carry it off. Gelled blonde hair, a young, svelte body—suffice to say you carry purple well."

"And what about Jeremy, why haven't you torn into him yet?" Odd replied.

"An intellectual respects a fellow perceived intellectual. So, he has that already. I have yet to hear him speak, however. Therefore, my harshest ridicule is reserved until he proves himself worthy of said ridicule."

"So, Ms. Intellect. How do you see the world, let alone the people you associate with?" Odd asked. 

"I see people equally upon first meeting them. They all hold the same rank and relevance. However, if I had to answer your question simply? It would be that I prefer those who surround me and of people in general to have substance over style. To have diligence and hard work within them, like a Volvo."

"Oh, you see people like cars, do you? How do you classify me?" Odd asked a bit of anger in his voice.

"Odd, please," Aelita said, "Calm down."

Jacqueline extended her hand towards Aelita and said, "It's okay." After a moment, she sighed and said, "I never said I appraise them as cars, that is a supposition you made yourself. But to answer your question, you are most like a Ferrari. Elegant in design and aesthetic, and breathtakingly swift, endued to you on behalf of your parents and your admittedly what one would call 'free-range upbringing.' You are boastful because of your legitimate elegance and swiftness and the subsequent allure you possess. But at the end of the day, having the resilience of a glorified porcelain doll. You fall woefully short when you are given actual tests of hard-working models used by the everyday man or woman." 

"You assume a lot of things, you know that? As a friend of Aelita says, "You know what assume stands for?"

Jacqueline shrugged, "What?"

"Don't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me."

"Bravo, Odd. Be careful in the future, Diccarus. If my estimations on your proclivity for hotheadedness is any indication, I'd hate to see you plunge into the sea, see?"

"No worries about that, Jacqueline," Yumi replied, "It's not so much his aggression that gets the better of him. It's his fancying of ladies that gets him the most frustrated at times. Isn't that right, Casanova?"

"Hey! Give me credit, I've put down the horndog life. It's not as near as was a couple of years ago." Odd said.

"Credit where credit is due, you have calmed down." Jeremy agreed, "Although it is summer. You're just waiting for the latest models to come in. if they're as headstrong as Jacqueline here, you might have your work cut out for you."

All except Odd burst out laughing, and as the rest were laughing, he flipped off Jacquelin. Jacqueline feigned shock and flipped Odd back, but she then took a skinny needle and inserted into the gracing skin of her finger, which made Odd grimace and recoil as she gestured with her middle finger to approach and flicked out her tongue in a similar motion. Odd's eyes went wide. 

Yumi seeing this laughed louder, "Aelita, sister, you have a psycho that can match Odd in sexual lewdness! Finally!"

Aelita nervously smiled and then said, "You know, it's a certain upgrade over a roommate that nearly kicked the life out of me. Between a sexually shocking person who can hold her own in a discussion versus as our mutual friend would call, "A meathead of a roommate." I will take sexual shocker. At least, life is more interesting that way." 

"What I want to know, personally," Jeremy said, regained his composure, "how did you perfectly pierce your finger without any fear of impaling your finger?"

Jacqueline went over to Jeremy and showed him saying, "Use your X-Ray specs there, Hawking. See this tiny freckle right here?"

She pointed, and Jeremy squinted, "Oh yeah, I see it." he replied, in the meantime, getting a spellbinding intake of her jasmine and lavender soaps. Aelita noticed this, seeing a very gentle smile on his lips. Her jaw tightened, and her right hand's fingers tensed.

"See, using this freckle as a focal point, I know that I can simply pierce either outward or downward as the case may be," Jacqueline replied before returning to where she was priorly seated next to Aelita.

As Jacqueline departed from him, Jeremy had that look in his eyes, a look that Aelita never thought she'd see, genuine longing, no worse, it was a hunger. She could tell in how his nostrils flared as if trying to catch the last scent of her essence. Jeremy, her beloved intellectual, was just like every boy. It was an inconvenient truth, but the truth no less. What disturbed her most as she observed this, Jeremy was doing his best, as best as he could, of playing it cool. However, Aelita knew how to quickly snap him out of that.

"Jeremy," she said, "are you alright? You seem a touch funny."

"Funny?" Jeremy asked, as his eyes immediately went to Aelita, "what do you mean?"

"She means you seem like Ulrich after going to the moon with Yumi," Odd replied. 

"Odd!" Yumi yelled, "Damn it! Will you keep your damned mouth shut!"

"Using the shock value of your knowledge of your friends knocking boots to claim your status to keep me off the game? A touch low, is it not, Odd?" Jacqueline replied, a touch bemused by this turn of events.

Odd sighed, "You're really irritating, you know that?"

"If your definition is anything like your father's recurring herpes sores, then I can more than understand the premise of irritation, yes," Jacqueline replied with a gentle smirk. 

Odd shot up, "You take that back, right now!" He burst out angrily.

Jacqueline looked at him and then quickly at the others. Yumi was attempting to approach Odd if he should be pressed too far; Jeremy was fully up and looking at her; Aelita was watching with interest at this whole exchange. 

Jacqueline replied, "Considering various factors—out of respect for your friends, I shall take it back. Never mind if it factually correct."

"Okay, look, lady, I don't know who you are, I already can barely stomach you! Back up your claims right now, or I swear you will regret this entire conversation!" 

Jacqueline sighed and got up, "I report on what I see. I make a list of general observations from what your friends tell me of you, be it direct or indirect. Your admittance as a Casanova, by direct admission or omission, is still admission. You chase ladies, allow me to correct myself, _girls_ very much that catches your fancy and yet do not challenge you on an intellectual level. You prefer veneer of the beauty over the depth of the mind. But, I digress, let us focus on the primary evidence. Your consistent pattern of behavior regarding girls.

Based on how even your friends treat you, even in jest, I can quickly assess that you chase anything with a pulse. If you think me a hyperbolic assumer, see if you can answer honestly, how many girls in your grade have you dated?" 

Odd smirked, "Tch, you think you can use that on me? Yeah, I admit it, every girl in our grade I have dated, a bit more besides. My love life one, not your affair, so butt out. The issue I have is you insulted my father's honor, insinuating he has a disease from philandering, which he does not! So, you better explain yourself for such a blatant accusation."

Jacqueline looked at Yumi, "Is he genuinely this dumb? Seriously?"

Yumi looked at her and then at Odd, "Odd, you are not helping your case with this girl! Swallow your pride and take a loss!" 

Odd looked at Yumi, "Don't defend this girl! You think you have moxie, do you, Jacqui? Defend your point!"

"I'm not defending her, Odd! You, yourself, are not helping your case! Sit down, shut up, and let this end!" 

At that moment, a voice rang out, "What is going on here!"

The group froze, and Yumi's heart she swore could have skipped a bit. Jacqueline smiled to herself and said, "Oh, Mamma Bear's home."

"Shut up," Aelita said. 

"Yumi, I am trying to work in my office." Akiko replied, "What is going on here?" 

Yumi was doing her best to improvise an excuse, "Uh—mom, look it was nothing it—"

"It was a civil disagreement between two kids, neither of which having the common sense to consider the fact there may be other people in the house." Jacqueline replied, "I apologize for the atrocious nature of my gelled-up friend here, we weren't made aware you were home."

Akiko looked at Jacqueline, "Who are you, young lady? I know the rest of this group; you are the only odd one out."

"Well, thanks to your timely interruption of our heated verbal debate, you have remedied that by making our number even, so for that, I thank you. However, as for your question, I am a roommate of Pinkie over there. I am new to the area, and she is introducing me to her friends. One of us does not have what is referred to as debate-oriented decorum, so I again, apologize."

Akiko looked at her and after a moment said, "What do your parents do?"

"There's honestly not a day goes by I don't ask myself the same question. However, that falls into three parts, birth parents, foster, or adoptive parents?"

Akiko folded her arms, and her gaze sharpened. Jacqueline smiled and stood at attention, her hands behind her back, returning her gaze. The group was silent, never had this happened before, with this evident degree of levity. 

Yumi gently went over to Aelita and whispered, "This is just nuts, where did you find her?"

Aelita looked at her and pointed In Kadic's general direction. Yumi nodded and continued to look at the two, which were stopped in a bizarre staring contest. 

At that moment, Akiko suddenly clapped her hand directly in front of one of Jacqueline's eyes, no response at all. Jeremy's eyes went wide, "What the hell?" he thought, "That's nearly impossible!"

Jacqueline replied, "My turn." She gripped Akiko's head suddenly and kissed her powerfully and tilted her back. The shock on Akiko's face was evident as it was to the rest of the group. However, Aelita noticed that by Akiko's face, she was bizarrely embracing this for just a split second, and then her range kicked in. For her part, Jacqueline broke the kiss; at that second, she retracted her tongue with the speed of a frog, and the empty snap of Akiko's teeth was heard.

"Oh, Mamma, you have some real bite force, don't you?" Jacqueline said with a laugh.

"You damned audacious puppy!" Akiko screamed. She grabbed a nearby soup spoon, and it liked Akiko was doing all she could to keep from giving Jacqueline a crack with it.

"There's that word again." Aelita said, "What does it mean when you call someone a puppy! I've heard puppy life and no audacious puppy. Someone, please explain this?" 

Jacqueline saw her chance, "Mother dearest, kindly enlighten my roomie."

However, Akiko did not have it, and she swung for Jacqueline's head, which Jacqueline instinctively ducked and powered through storming through the hall from the kitchen to Akiko's back office a massive bang was heard. 

Jacqueline suddenly ran right up the hallway, open the door, and was gone. The group was stunned and went out after her.

They looked in the direction she fled. Jacqueline was already a quarter away from cresting the hill at the end of the street.

Odd's eyes went wide, "Damn! She is really fast!"

Yumi herself was amazed as Jacqueline's form crested the hill and was gone.

Jeremy then said, "Come on, let's check on your mom."

The group headed back in, and they went towards the back office. To Yumi's amazement, the door had been smashed off the hinges by the raw force alone. Akiko lay unconscious at the foot of her chair.

"What the hell?" Odd said in amazement, not at what the damage but what was on the monitors in front of them.

The group saw what he saw; detailed profiles kept in thirteen panes. In order from left to right, they were, "Jeremy Belpois; Ulrich Stern; Aelita Schaffer/Hopper; Odd Della Robbia; William Dunbar (Probable Connection) Franz Hopper; Project Lyoko; Project North-Gate; Dr. Johnathan Barrow (believed deceased); Sylvia-Anna Penrose (Threat at Large); Operation Rebirth; Black Horse Initiative.

Aelita looked at this, her eyes wide, "Yumi, what—how is this possible?"

Yumi was nearly dumbstruck after a moment she said, "I-I genuinely don't know."

Jeremy looked at just a few of the files, mostly on the team, and on Sylvia-Anna. He looked at all their formats, and he said, "Aelita, look at this." 

Aelita moved forward, "What is it?"

"Read the top left label." He stepped back.

Aelita read as follows, "From the desk of Anthea Hopper: Liquidation Chief & Oversight Officer for UNCCOP."

Jeremy gently gripped her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Aelita."

Jeremy then noticed there was room for one more pane, but it was closed, and it was this throwing off symmetry that bugged him. Pressing Ctrl Shift T, he pulled up the former tab and what it bore shocked the group, "Yolanda/Dorothy Perraudin. Believed Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of North-Gate. The validity of this proven by asset on sight due to interaction with "John Barrow." It is believed both Perraudin and Barrow knew each other beyond casual acquaintances. Thought Barrow, Perraudin, and Hendricka Schneider (note: Missing) all knew each other along with some link. It is believed N.G's Rebecca "Amy" St. Claire was this link. Note: Believed Rebecca is terminated as she has yet to resurface. Case Notes/Updates: Perraudin thoroughly assessed by on-sight assets as well as external sources. Connection to N.G. is deemed circumstantial. 6/4 6/5: Focus on finding Schneider and "Johnathan Barrow." 

The group sighed as they read this note. Odd replied, "Why would they suspect Nurse Yolanda, though? Sure she knew freak-show Barrow, but that's hardly a cause to dig through her life."

"It's called guilt by association, unfortunately," Yumi replied, "Sad truth of it. However," she looked down at Akiko, _"Now I know what you've been doing all this time, Mother." _She thought to herself.

"However, what, Yumi?" Aelita asked.

"Oh, uh, however, someone took their time and was thorough. Sorry, I just got distracted, I guess. Come on, let's get mom, unto the couch, and we'll let her wake up naturally." 

Jeremy said, "It'll take all of us. Come on, one, two, lift."

The group tried, and it was too hard to lift Yukiko at all. Aelita looked at the clock, "When is your dad supposed to be home?" 

"In an hour, maybe a bit more, why?" Yumi asked.

Aelita opened her phone and left the room. After following through the usual procedure, she got to Sylvia's line, "Sis, you there?"

"I'm getting a Swedish Massage. You or your friends better be dead or dying."

"Sorry to disturb paradise, Diva, but this is important!" Aelita said in hushed anger.

Sylvia was heard to groan, "Take five, Maurice. Alright, sis, what is it?"

"I'm at Yumi's house. Her mother is down because my roommate quarterbacked her into her office, she's knocked out, and we kids can't really move her fully on our own. She weighs more than she looks."  
"What is it with you and these maniac roommates? Do you just attract them or something?"

"Sylvia!" Aelita harshly whispered.

"Okay, okay, fine. Medic 5 will be with you in oh, six minutes or so. Same procedure as last time. Anything else I need to know about?"

"Yeah, Akiko has a bunch of files on you, your dad, North-Gate, all of it, everything!"

"Aw, Baby Sister, you do care about me. Okay, thanks for the heads up. The medic will be there soon. Anything else?" 

"Uh, yeah, can you have this medic fix the study door?" Aelita asked.

"Sister, define, fix the door." 

"Put it back on its hinges?"

"What kind of meathead did you land this time?" Sylvia asked. "Ugh, fine. Have your bespectacled blonde Lancelot give the door its measurement, then tell me what the result is."

Aelita called out, "Jeremy, measure the door, please." 

Jeremy, after getting instructions from Yumi, found the tape-measure under the sink and began measuring, and once the measurement was ready, Aelita told Sylvia.

"Double-Check," Sylvia replied. 

They double-checked, and then Aelita heard Sylvia bizarrely humming to herself, then Sylvia said, "Alright, got everything all set up. Now, for your payment on this little thing. You shall go and purchase a supreme pizza with pepperoni and hot sausage for the primary meats. You shall then have Yumi deliver the pie to Sissi Delmas. And then to clear up a mess for darling Herr Stern, you shall then take Sissi out as a friendly group to a movie of her choice."

"You're a bit stiff in price, aren't you sis?" Aelita asked. 

"You know, I hear that Akiko loathes destruction of things she legitimately claims to be hers. I'd absolutely hate to see what she'd do to darling Yumi or you if either of you luscious precious damsels were unfortunate to be left to do this on your own."

"Alright, fine." Aelita said with a sigh, "You're getting some enjoyment out of this. More than I think you should."

"Hey, it's better I find pleasure this way than through more archaic methods such as close-harmony singing or yodeling."

Aelita heard this and responded, "Those things do not equate!"

"Now, who's the computer?" Sylvia said with a laugh. 

Aelita sighed, "You cannot equate close-harmony singing or yodeling for goodness sake on the same tier as enduring a movie with Sissi Delmas."

"But, sister, sweetest dearest sister, did you not call Sissi your friend? If memory serves, you very much did. Ergo, think of this as no more than a gesture of friendship. A gesture most friends in a normal setting share. If you have trouble comprehending this, think of this as a down-payment of sorts. A payment of which it can secure you a favor in the long-term. A favor that liberates your dearest brother, Herr Stern, from his proverbial shackles of both unfaithfulness and what he would admittedly say on face value as detestable to him. However, he enjoys it. Otherwise, he would not have proposed his rendition of payment as it currently stands."

Aelita sighed, "Look, why are you doing this? I can't entirely buy that you're in this for Ulrich's benefit."

Sylvia replied, "You have made me come to terms with things that I need to let go of. You have made me come to terms with aspects of sacrifice that I may not exactly agree with. All of this for the betterment of the lives and the treatment of people under the pending North-Gate regime. Now, under that same token, as the expression goes, it's tit for tat. I clean up this little mess, you make a down payment with Miss. Delmas. Thus, you have a practical favor in your back pocket, and you alleviate dearest Ulrich of your own personal form of tyranny."

"Tyranny? You have the gall to call me a tyrant?" Aelita asked, her voice beginning to bubble with venom.

"Tyranny has many faces, my love. You seek to tell Yumi the truth of what you saw that night. However, did you ever consider that you could be dividing the team far more than I ever could, and all of this stemmed from your own sense of right and wrong?" 

"Don't you dare, don't you _dare _tell me what I think or what I feel. You don't know; don't presume." Aelita said.

"Forgive me, sister. But you strike me as a woman who believes in justice, in good behavior, forthrightness. In fact, perhaps even stronger than I do. I know these feelings have festered in your mind and in your heart ever since you saw the act with your own eyes. I _know _you wish for forthrightness in a relationship, especially in your family. For it is what you believe that you and Jeremy possess. Such a trait is admirable. But do not dare think the world doesn't have a way of testing the resolve of even the well-nigh incorruptible rock of Jeremy Belpois."

"Oh? And are you the world of which you speak?" Aelita asked her eyes, growing sharper in a gaze. 

"Do not become as Jeremy is, Sister. Lovers, you are but equals in mind you are not. Do not cave to his insecurities nor his knee-jerk suspicions. Do you remember how he suspected Brynja being a ploy of our brother? How did that turn out? A ploy she was not, a girl she was. Human as you or I. Think for yourself, sister. Care for your Jeremy, love and counsel him, but do not cave to his suspicions, his fears."

Aelita paused, "Sylvia—"

"Your help has arrived. Have a nice evening."

"Sylvia—" Aelita said, her voice a bit louder. 

"Yes?"

"Tell me, what do you want from us?"

"Not so much from you, sister. For you. I want you to be healthy. I want you to continue have hope, the hope that I struggle to cling to. The confidence that is challenged every day. You see the world, and you see beauty and opportunity and the goodness of people. You see love, and you have love. I want you to have that, to hold it close. I cannot be where you are. I cannot stand in the same light, at least not right now. I cannot see as you see. I admit that. In ways you do not understand, in methods, you do not comprehend, I am desperately trying to see you as you do. To love as you love. I find it hard to do because I have seen so very much, and what I have seen makes me cry at night. That doesn't mean I don't have hope. Despite the cries of the false beliefs of others, I _do not_ hate humanity. They frustrate, oh, they frustrate me, and they do make it so damned hard to love them.

But that is why I am doing something right now. I need to be sure of what I see, I need to be sure of my perceived measure of people before I act. I need to see if my heart can change towards them, even though they seem to love to test my patience to no end.

You do as you do now. You love Jeremy and keep close to your family. You live your life, be a student, do what you need to, and let me do as I need to do. Our paths will cross, and you will know when it is time. But until then, well, there's work to do. Goodbye, sister. Good Luck."

The line disconnected Aelita felt the energy cease, and she looked at the phone, and she read the line of text on the phone, "Field Kit Disabled. Aelita Schaefer: Clearance Revoked."


	44. Chapter 44

_**AN: Hello, my dear readers, reviewers, and friends. This chapter marks what I consider to be the season finale of this group of chapters. This is the last chapter I will post for at least two weeks. I am heading on vacation, and I will be in touch after I come back. I thank all of you for your help, dedication to reading, and your support. I thank God for his help in making this what I feel to be a very suitable seasonal ending. Thank you all for your support, and I will see you next time.—Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 44

Jacqueline was back at Kadic, and as she was lying on her cot, she was looking out at the afternoon sky lit by the gradually setting sun. She had been there for lunch as Aelita had promised Jim, so she wasn't in direct trouble. Nor was Aelita, for that matter, as Jacqueline believed in the "good ole' girls" system in the aspect of having Aelita as a roommate. However, Jacqueline knew that there would be repercussions for her actions towards Akiko. Was she worried about this? Absolutely not. This was the epitome of an instance where there would be some minor inconveniences, maybe, but nothing that wouldn't blow over with time.

Jacqueline knew however, the reprisal was well on its way; she could tell by the rapidly approaching footsteps toward the door. The stride was purposeful, the footfall prominent and sullen, as if marching in combat boots. Lord knows she knew that tell-tale sound especially given Silent Sanford's proclivity of wearing such footwear. The door's handle went down, and Aelita and Yumi entered. Yumi closed the door and locked it. Aelita sat on her bed, and Yumi stood over Jacqueline, who looked up at her. 

"What the fuck is your problem?" Yumi asked.

"Apart from your expectoration while speaking? Nothing. Everything is just fine, thank you. Why do you ask?"

Yumi's eyes sharpened as she said, "Stand up."

Jacqueline looked at her, "Nah. I'm perfectly content to stay where I am, thanks. "

Yumi grit her teeth took hold of Jacqueline's arms and jerked her from the cot, "You frenched my mother. You forced yourself on her! I don't know how quite things work where you're from, but my mom is irate!" 

"Sounds like daddy's underperforming if a good kiss causes this reaction," Jacqueline replied. 

Yumi's hand flew out, and the slap reverberated in the room. Aelita's eyes went wide, but given the context, Yumi was in her right. 

"You listen to me." Yumi said, "Because of your little stunt, you and Aelita are banned from my house. You don't realize the gravity of the situation." 

"No, I more than understand," Jacqueline replied.

"Shut the fuck up!" Yumi said, "You talk too much! Just because you swallowed an Oxford Dictionary when you were six does not mean you know everything! It also means you can't talk your way out of everything! Because of your rash actions, you fucked both yourself and my best friend."

Jacqueline sighed, "Are you quite finished?"

"Oh, you have something to add, do you?" Yumi asked, "Did your parents ever teach you to hold your tongue and not react every time?"

Jacqueline sighed, rolling her eyes, "My parents taught me much."

"Shut up and just listen. For once, will you? Not everything needs a response." Yumi replied, "Just tell me why you did it. Why did you force yourself on my mother in this way?" 

Jacqueline smiled grimly, and with one hand, symbolically locked her lips and tossed the key away. 

"Oh, you're cute." Yumi said, "Answer the question." 

Jacqueline looked at Aelita and then back to Yumi, and soon a voice sounded just beside Aelita, "I'm sorry, empress. You told me, "shut up and listen." I am listening. You also said, "Not everything needs a response." Ergo, I shall not dignify your query with either answer or comment." 

Yumi pinned Jacqueline to the wall, "Test me. Test me, I dare you. I fucking dare you. Why did you do it?"

At that moment, a mighty fist banged on the door, Jim's voice sounded, "Stones, Gray, you two alright? I had reports of raised voices and banging."

Aelita replied, "It's okay, Jim! We're just having a discussion, that's all."

"What about you, Gray, you doing alright?" Jim asked.

Yumi looked at Jacqueline, and Jacqueline's eyes moved to Yumi's hands on her shoulders, and her eyebrows raised, and she mouthed the words, "Test me, bitch. I dare you, I fucking dare you."

Yumi released Jacqueline, albeit reluctantly. Jacqueline looked at the door and then at Yumi, "I'm okay, Jim! We just had to set some boundaries of common courtesy." Jacqueline' pinched Yumi's cheek, "It's alright."

"Well, alright. But any more monkey business, and I'm removing the lock on the door." Jim replied, "I can't have this kind of behavior on campus."

Jacqueline's eyes lit up at hearing that as if she'd won the lottery, "Don't worry. Let me unlock the door, I'll show you things are above board."

Yumi's back up, and Aelita's eyes went wide as Jacqueline released the lock, and the door opened. Jim stood and looked around. He saw Yumi, "Uh, Yumi, what are you doing here on the grounds? You have been off the Kadic register for half a year. In all honesty, unless this is a genuine visitation, you shouldn't be here."

Yumi searched for words as Jacqueline slipped past Jim, and as she looked at Yumi, Yumi saw Jacqueline toss her a wink, and her tongue darted as it did towards Odd earlier. She then gingerly waved and headed down the hall. Aelita saw this and thought, "_Smart. Really smart. She knew this would be the result. She just needed Yumi to get loud. Yumi's usually controlled, but given this situation, she's in her right. But Jacqueline knew that if pushed enough, someone would report this. It's not so much about busting Yumi as getting out of this confrontation. She relies on the casual bystander being concerned and reporting it. Devious, but it works. But it won't work all the time." _

Meanwhile, Jacqueline knocked on the infirmary door, and Yolanda answered, "Yes?" 

"Busy?" Jacqueline asked.

"A little, not too bad. Come on in."

Jacqueline sat down on one of the beds and Yolanda closed the door and locked it, "What's going on?" Yolanda asked as she sat on her stool.

Jacqueline's eyes were active; she was silent a moment as she looked over the whole room. She gestured to Yolanda to be quiet. 

Jacqueline got up and looked around very carefully, the method she did so reminded Yolanda of the old days, the prototype sentinel drones on scanning detail. Yolanda tapped her shoulder, and Jacqueline raised her hand as if to motion, "Don't disturb." She looked on as Jacqueline sniffed the air, and as she did, she moved towards one end of the room. She continued to sniff and then stopped. Jacqueline pointed. Yolanda got up, and she went to the spot and saw a tiny floor vent. The tiniest protrusion stuck from the top. Yolanda took out a screwdriver from her desk and unscrewed the cover. Placing a glove on, she took out the wire. 

Yolanda looked at Jacqueline and Jacqueline motioned a fist coming down on her open palm. Yolanda nodded and switched over to her implant, "Well, now we know nothing is safe, not even an infirmary."

"It's not surprising. But here's the thing. I know where one of the strangers in our house is. I saw the data, and I saw the case files." Jacqueline replied. 

"I know. I was alerted on the medic report." Yolanda replied.

"Thankfully, due to your ingenuity, you're not a focus anymore. For now, that is."

Yolanda nodded, "And there is also a spy of their own making within the school. I have yet to locate the person, though, and I've done a lot of scouring."

"We know only one person is above suspicion," Jacqueline replied. 

"How do you know our nest-egg has not been compromised?" Yolanda asked.

"We have provided so much, given so much help, been genuine friends. There is no legitimate reason for justification for betraying us." 

"Sylvia, dearest love, you know that may well be well and good in your rationale. But you know just as I do, that is not a guarantee. Arnold, Ames, Walker, Hanssen. Need I go on?"

Jacqueline looked her almost in a devastating way, "I hate that you're right. I really do."

"You have always thought of your wars like checkers as if everything hurts. It's not smart." Yolanda replied. 

"That's where you're wrong. That's where you and every other person is wrong. Honestly, if something hurts when you lose it and you don't wish to lose more of what you love, it makes you very careful with your moves. Why do you think I'm doing this right now? It's because, for the sake of my sister for the sake of humanity, I can't go off half-cocked. I've done that too many times before, and you know, and I know you hate the result. So, I'm playing this way because it needs to happen. I have to be sure of my move before I make it."

Yolanda nodded, "I honestly find it very interesting that for the sake of your half-sister, not even full sister, you desire to tap into your conscience. Why the change? Why now? You killed hundreds of thousands of people. Men, women, children. Why now do you suddenly have a conscience?" 

Jacqueline replied, "Because I—for years, I dealt in absolutes. You are either for me or against me and my vision. I was too forceful, and I was not attentive. I abused and starved countless people because I was more a warrior than a ruler. I had to learn how to rule not so much how to conquer. Why do I have a conscience? Just because I know where I stand, and my word may be law, the law does not command the human heart. The heart will want what it wants, and it is deceitful, I will not lie on that subject. I have surrendered I cannot police the people as I once did. I killed thousands in the name of order and justice and goodness. But it was forced goodness it was not elected. I have a conscience now, because, I know there's a better way to do it. It is a way that doesn't force but instead allows free will to show mankind what he is." 

"We've been over this a lot. I want to ask you a question now you have a body of your own. Did you ever consider that policing people is not your job? I know love order and justice and all that. But did you consider it's not your place?"

Jacqueline looked at her, "I never said it was my place. Did you even pay attention to what I said when I laid out a lot of these things? I'm trying to make an efficient, accurate system that deals simply with raw data, raw facts, raw averages, raw assessments. I never wanted to police the people just because I believed myself to be right! That's not the reason at all!"

"I know why you're doing this, Sylvia. I know why. Because of injustices, the perversion of systems, the corruption of law to benefit those who had enough money or power. I know that is why. But, sweetheart, please listen! You are just as human as the people you are disgusted by. Why are you always so outraged all the time? Why are you always seemingly in crisis every time you see a little miscarriage of justice or just people being people?" 

"Because it's just not right!" Jacqueline screamed so that Yolanda jolted from the force of the implant, "People will cheat because they can. They will take the shortcut every damn time! Why am I always so mad?! Because, because I just hate it here! I hate that people are so willing to do this to each other, lie, cheat, swindle, fraud, fornicate, do all this endless shit, and have no damned care! You asked me if I hate humanity, NO! I hate what they do, and they do it every day because they can, there's a difference! Do you have any idea how many damned times I have literally been in that damned machine and just hated being human! This flawed, fucked up mess of flesh? A pernicious race of the most damnable odious self-justifying self-loving murdering little vermin that ever the Father suffered in allowance to crawl upon the face of the earth!" Jacqueline sighed.

Yolanda was silent as she reflected on this entire speech. Deep in her heart, she knew what the actual problem was. It wasn't that Sylvia hated people, Yolanda knew that. But rather than keep this in her Yolanda said through the implant, "Sylvia, my dear girl, it's not that you hate being human."

Jacqueline looked at her, "What is it then?"

Yolanda replied, "You hate being as enlightened as you are. You have been witness to the patterns over and over and over again. It's not that you're angry with people, it's just that you lament they don't change. Even though you made a lot of progress and you are indeed taking a massive step walking among the people as you are, you are not of the people. The simple fact being, do you remember your friend Amy? Do you remember her?"

"Yes. I don't want to, but I do."

"Why don't you want to remember her?" Yolanda asked.

"You know why," Jacqueline replied. 

"Tell me, from your mouth."

"Because she completely dismissed what I had come to understand. I came to understand the truth. I came to understand the truth because of what had been shown to me."

"Okay, and why did she hate you?"

"She accused me of once being so very open-minded, so very approachable, and that I was no longer that way. It is not that I wasn't, Londie. It was that I had seen what I had seen, I couldn't unsee it, and from that, I just didn't believe in a lot of the bullshit everyone else did or took comfort in, even if they didn't believe it." 

"You became enlightened as to the human condition. That was years and years ago. I've read the transcript. Yet, you still remember all that pain and anger. The simple fact, sweetheart, you don't forget, you don't let go, you don't—and you're going to hate me for this, you have not a drop of pity in your heart. You don't feel as people feel, because you're very, very cold. You do not love people; you appreciate them for how they help you, and maybe you will help them. That is not loving, though." 

Jacqueline replied, "I love you, I love you and Terry and—"

"No—no." Yolanda shook her head, "No. No, you don't. You use us as a means to an end, the way you always have used everyone. You pick in the brains of people; you dissect them personality-wise by second nature, I believe. You do not try to do this; you just do it. Why?"

"I like to know about people, I like to know what they like, how they like it, why they like it. Last I checked, that's not a crime." Jacqueline replied.

"Why do you need to know the whys and wherefores? Why can't you just accept something on face value?" Yolanda asked.

"It tells me if they genuinely care about it or they just say they do. Genuine care or appreciation is more realistic than surface-level."

"What does it matter if they genuinely care? What's it to you personally that people be genuine with you about just the minor details?"

"Because to me, if you can't be honest about minor things, you can't be honest about major things, of major importance, that's why."

"Oh, so for you, it's a matter of trust. If one is honest with you, you are honest with them, is that your rationale?"

"Shouldn't it be that way for all people?"

"That's not the question. Is that your rationale."

"Yes, fine! It is my rationale. But I fail to see how this relates to me not loving as you term it."

Yolanda was silent a moment and then said, "Because information that you ask for highly personal to a lot of people. You do not always warrant that trust. That is a personal thing for a lot of people. They need to know you for a long time before going into the things you deem of genuine importance. I say you cannot love because you use and have used information and you use and have used people as nothing more than raw resources for your views and ambitions. That is not loving! Don't you get it?"

Jacqueline shook her head, "To me, love is to care for someone to shelter them to keep them alive and give them a glimpse of hope. Why do you think I sprung you from prison? Why do you think I saved your life on the front? Is that not love to you?" 

Yolanda shook her head, "It's sadly conditional. It's not loving. You kept me alive because Terry was my childhood friend. Keeping me alive kept him at your side. Without him, you are without a ballast, without foundation. That's reality." 

Jacqueline was silent as she looked at Yolanda, and Yolanda took a moment and said, "What do you want? All this, what do you want?" 

"Order, justice, people to be—" Jacqueline said.

"I know—I know all that. Why?"

Jacqueline looked at Yolanda then at her shoes. Yolanda was silent, she knew just what was going on in the depths of the mind before her. She knew the reason. But Sylvia had to state it. Yolanda knew this would take time, but she also knew that would happen as a result of the admission.

"I resent that you don't think I love," Jacqueline said, using her actual voice. She looked at her, "I resent that you think I just use people. I gave you what you wanted. I gave you what you desired. A place to do what you wanted, a place of recognition, a place of acceptance of what you do, and you—you say I don't love you. You say I don't love people? After all, I gave you and helped and encouraged you; don't think I love you?" 

"Sylvie, gifts do not equate to love. Why do you bury so many of us with gifts? Why do you do that?"

Jacqueline got up, "We're done here."

As she proceeded to leave, Yolanda said, "The problem persists. Love is not gifts, gifts to not buy loyalty."

Jacqueline stopped and then turned, "As you've made it abundantly clear. Thank you."

Yolanda then said, "Don't be spiteful. I know how you have a few things turning in that wheelhouse up there, go to take a swim, relax a bit."

Jacqueline looked at her and turned, and as she walked towards the door, she said, "Funny thing—the children of Kadic have a much better chance of getting out of the upcoming situation alive than you do."

Yolanda's heart skipped a beat, "What?"

Jacqueline turned back to face her, "My gifts mean nothing to you as you've said if you believe I'm conditional in my forms of affection. Loyalty is not bought with gifts. What am I to conclude from these statements?"

Yolanda was silent as she stared at the girl before her.

Jacqueline replied, "No worries. I'm not the heartless bitch you think I am. I have love in my heart; Even though you struggle to comprehend it. But, suffice to say, we're done for now."

Yolanda moved with fantastic speed and whipped out her field kit and fired off the mind-wipe. But to her horror, Jacqueline stood utterly unphased. 

Jacqueline looked at her and chuckled, "Really?" She laughed a bit harder, "Really?!" she sighed, "Amateur." She snapped her fingers on her right hand, and Yolanda felt very light at first, her eyes vibrated, and her breathing became rapid. Jacqueline calmly went up to Yolanda, and the woman fell forward. However, Jacqueline lifted Yolanda in her arms with elegance and utmost ease as she lay her gently down on the bed. 

As Jacqueline looked over Yolanda, she said, "I do love you, I hope you know that. But that's alright if you don't. Everyone has their moments of doubt and whatnot. Naturally, I suppose. Oh, well, in about fifteen minutes, you'll wake up in your right mind." Jacqueline covered Yolanda with a blanket and gently retreated from the infirmary.

Jacqueline headed out into the courtyard and sat down on one of the benches. She listened to the birdsong. It was so soothing, so cheering. She listened to the birdsong and reclined against the back of the seat. Jacqueline sighed as she remembered. All those years ago, those many years ago in the sun-kissed forested countryside with her father. She remembered she was six years old as she remembered the sheepdog her father had at the cottage. Biscuit was the animal's name, but she called him, "Lord Fluff." She loved the dog, she remembered his fur, so very soft, his face always joyful. She would play countless hours with the dog, a dog that never genuinely irritated and was always a constant companion. 

Jacqueline remembered the night, the last time she saw Biscuit. Anthea had been seeing her father for a bit, and she was at the cottage. She had asked, "You love the dog. Why?" 

"Because I understand him. He doesn't' want much apart from attention and a bit of walking. That's not hard."

Anthea nodded as she looked at Biscuit, walking in his jovial manner across the field. Anthea watched Sylvia's reaction as she also looked at the dog. It was one of genuine companionship. But Sylvia, as she reflected, was unnerved by the fact Anthea was watching her watch Biscuit. The next morning, Sylvia woke and went out to walk Biscuit. But he wasn't there. She gave a whistle her father had taught her to use to call him, still no Biscuit in sight. Jacqueline went to wake her dad and John for his part, groggy as he was got up and in time came out.

The two of them spent most of that early morning looking around the woodland. They called, and Sylvia looked for a while longer along the usual walking paths where she took the dog. Back in the present, Jacqueline opened her eyes. She knew that had happened. As the expression goes, "hindsight is twenty-twenty." The chain was coiled neatly. It did not fit even her father's story that the dog may have run off. But a kid, Sylvia, did not put it together until much later. Biscuit was not taken, he was removed. In a way, Sylvia knew this. She didn't see the animal's fate. In her view, it was better to be in a state of epistemic ambivalence than be faced with the reality of what really happened. It didn't change what happened, and it didn't change Sylvia's view of things as she realized even at six, she was being groomed to see how she would respond to what she would come to call 'shock-oriented stimuli.' 

Soon footfall was heard, and Jacqueline turned her head and saw Aelita standing right next to her. Jacqueline looked at her and said, "May I help you?" 

"Actually, yes," Aelita said and sat down next to her. She took an inhale through her nose and then exhaled, and then she looked at Jacqueline, "Let me ask you a question, just why did you kiss Yumi's mother that way? That's all Yumi wants to know."

Jacqueline groaned and said after a sigh, "I know the answer, you're not going to like it."

"Try me," Aelita said. 

"Because it was funny."

Aelita looked at her, "You forced your tongue down her throat, you call that funny?"

"Because it's so _not funny_. That's why it's funny! Look at that whole exchange. That woman was so damned serious, I felt, what better way to have a bit of fun than to just do something completely off the wall?"

Aelita looked at her, "You could have given a closed-lip kiss and had the same effect, you know that, right?"

"Not the same effect, but I get your point. That said, it was amusing." Jacqueline said. 

"So, is this literally your brand of humor? Shock humor?" Aelita asked.

"Not so much shock humor. Believe me, where I come from shock humor really has taken on a new meaning. It's more like—what I'd call situational dissonance. Some jerk like Ms. Ishiyama gets really serious, and so my version of breaking the ice is literally to do as I do." 

"Okay, let me make this clear. You got us _both _kicked out of the house because of your little stunt."

"Hey, that's Ishiyama's fault. That is a perfect example of punishment being too egregious for the crime committed. I should be the only one punished, not you."

"I'm glad you agree." Aelita said, "In all reality, I'm sure if you offer an appropriate apology, you could make it just a touch easier on us. If you are about true justice in this regard, is an apology genuinely that far out of order?"

Jacqueline pondered this, and then she looked at Aelita, "On a scale of one to ten, how mad is Mamma Ishiyama?" 

"You kicked Hitler out of art school."

Jacqueline replied, "Really? She's that much of a prude?"

"You violated the sanctity of her mouth and her marriage bed, are you that surprised?" Aelita asked.

"You're a bit over the top, aren't you? I mean, if I violated the sanctity of her marriage bed, we would be cuddling at midnight sipping scotch and having a smoke. As this is not the case, is a violation of the marriage bed genuinely a valid charge to be levied against the prisoner at the bar?" 

Aelita laughed, "I love how you just can't talk like a normal human being. I feel like I'm watching a courtroom drama with you half the time, it's kinda' cute."

"I'm not a homosexual, Aelita," Jacqueline said. 

Aelita smirked, "Really? You frenched my friend's mother, and you're not a lesbian or at least bisexually curious?" 

"In the name of genuine situational comedy, I am willing to make nearly any sacrifice," Jacqueline replied, and she got up. "I understand what you are saying, and I will make this right. Even though if it's a good joke, I will make it right."

Jacqueline headed off towards the gate, and Aelita called out, "Jacqueline," 

Jacqueline turned and faced her, "Yes?"

Aelita closed the distance, and now the two were within a foot of each other, "You've helped me." 

Jacqueline looked surprised, "How?"

"Over the past few days, I've been having a few discussions with a friend of mine. You told me that you believe the punishment from Ms. Ishiyama for what you did is unjust given I suffer unnecessarily from it. Even though you do not have to apologize for a very off-color physical action, you're making an effort and doing what is in your sight right." 

"It's not fair you suffer for my actions. You did nothing to warrant it. That is why I do it. I don't believe in unjust punishment, especially for those who had no hand in causing any harm." Jacqueline replied.

"That's my point. The person I'm dealing with thinks on the same level, but she's too much of an extremist. I don't like a lot of what she has said, but it doesn't mean she's unfounded in her stances. That said, you are very likely a person I could use to make my point to her."

"What does this point entail?" Jacqueline asked.

"That we're not the cruel and dark monsters that she thinks we are. We aren't beyond hope. There is good in people, you are showing that by your action. But my friend does not see it that way. She sees the world as cold, cruel, vindictive, and hopeless. If people like you exist and not only exist but are willing to own up to your actions, she will have no reason to harm us." 

Jacqueline looked at Aelita, mulling over her words. She then said, "Aelita, before I go, what is love?"

Aelita was now surprised, "What is love? Uh—do you not know?" 

"Well, it seems love's definition varies from person to person. What is love to you?" Jacqueline asked.

Aelita looked at her, and in Jacqueline's eyes, she saw a sense of pleading as if the very answer that she gave could either be beautiful and fantastic or catastrophic. 

Aelita sighed and said, "Love—love is—love is the desire to be with someone, to serve them, support them, and eternally protect them."

Jacqueline weighed this and replied, "Okay, thanks. When I come back, we'll talk loving with the heart or the mind."

Aelita nodded, and she saw Jacqueline head through the gate down the street. 

Yumi watched this whole exchange from around the corner, and as Jacqueline headed off, she approached Aelita, "Well handled. I wasn't expecting her to be that willing to correct herself." 

Aelita was silent a moment, and she nodded, "We'll be fine." 

Yumi looked at Aelita, "What was the whole love element about? It seems a strange topic to ask about."

Aelita didn't answer Yumi but simply said, "Mm-hmm." She headed back towards the dorms thinking, "_It makes more than enough sense if you had to raise yourself."_ Aelita entered the dorm building, and she went to her room. 

Jacqueline walked towards the sidewalk towards the Ishiyama residence, and she tapped into her implant, "Terry? Terry, you there?" 

Soon the response came in, "Hey, my favorite aspiring Jungian, how are you?"

"Can we talk?" Jacqueline said.

"Of course, sweetheart, what's going on?"

"Terry, do you only stick with me because my father told you to?"

Terry paused a moment and said, "Sylvie, I'm going to tell you something that took me a long time to understand. Your father, God rest his soul, was a good man. He told me to look after you, that's true. But what you need to understand is I've watched you grow up from six years old all the way to now. I'm going to tell you something that I only discovered when I became your step-father after all that happened. You don't just love your children; you fall in love with them. A father protects you; a father loves you, a father raises you. I never saw looking after you as a conditional term of service. I loved your father as I have loved you, and I always will."

"Do you think I can love? Do you think me capable?" Jacqui asked.

"Why are you asking these things? What's happened?"

"I—I don't know if I know how to love. From what Yolanda told me, she sees my love as conditional—and…"

"Sylvia, let me stop you right there. Do not pay attention to what Yolanda says. She is a master of passive-aggressive technique. To be fair, she's seen her share of shit, so I can't discredit her views completely, but that's not your issue. You do what you wanted to do from the outset. You spend time with your sister. You enjoy the childhood you were robbed of. I'll handle our good doctor, don't worry about that. Don't worry about what that woman says. She doesn't know you as I know you, she doesn't know you as Maria knows you. Don't be overconcerned by that. She's a friend of mine, sure, but she overestimates her importance. Look, relax, if you ever have trouble, you patch in and talk to me, Maria, or Sanford."

"Thank you, Terry. I just was really concerned and confused." 

"Hey, no worries. You go be happy and enjoy your week off." The connection ended.

Jacqueline arrived at the door of the Ishiyama residence, and she knocked three times. Akiko answered the door, and her eyes sharpened, "What is it?" 

Jacqueline looked at her and said, "I've come to apologize for my behavior. I apologize for my actions, and I would like to ask you to reconsider allowing Aelita back into your home. It's not fair that you punish her for my misdeed, she did nothing wrong." 

"Life's not fair. You should have thought of that before you did as you did." Akiko replied.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me." Jacqueline replied, "I'm asking you don't punish an undeserving party for my misdeed. Or perhaps I am not speaking clearly enough to a puerile brain." 

"You're not doing yourself any favors," Akiko replied. 

"And you aren't helping yourself either. You would gladly punish someone completely innocent who is basically a roommate, and you have no issue with it?" 

"Maybe you'll learn from this. That's my hope anyway. Aelita will be allowed back when and if I see fit. Not until then."

"Why are you doing this?" Jacqueline asked.

"Because it's the only way to reach someone like you. You have no fear of consequences because you don't account for the gravity of select actions. I could be an absolute jerk and say none of you are allowed back. But I'm not. Just Aelita. Consider yourself fortunate in that regard. I could press charges if I were so inclined, but I'm not that cruel either. Because I know that is the one way to get through to someone like you. You will respect my authority on this matter, and you will swallow your tongue and go home with your tail between your legs."

Jacqueline smiled, "Well played."

Akiko returned her smile, "Thank you. Now get off my property."

Jacqueline turned and then said with her back to Akiko, "I'm sorry, by the way." 

"For what this time?" Akiko said as she folded her arms.

"Not so much what I did, but what will happen. That you're going to be passed over for promotion, that you're going to be substantially impacted financially because of your covert frivolous lifestyle for positional jockeying in the company, and unlike last time, you won't be able to blame hubby."

Akiko looked at her, wide-eyed, "What did you say?"

Jacqueline looked back, and she replied in Hiroki's voice in an extremely cheerful manner, "See you later." She began to walk off.

"Hold your fucking horses!" Akiko yelled.

Jacqueline laughed, "Oh, ho, sister, let me tell you a little bit about myself! I'm a decent person. I'm not good, I'm not bad, I'm decent. If you are mean to me, I will still be nice. But, now that you're mean to me a second time, oh, you don't know what you're asking."

Akiko lunged forward, but Jacqueline was quick on her toes, and with a flash of light, Akiko, stopped in her tracks. Her heart raced, and her legs began to buckle. Jacqui caught her and lifting her bridal style, she entered the house and lay her on the couch. 

Jacqueline then went to the fridge, took a can of cherry soda, and headed out. She called Aelita's phone. 

Aelita answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Aelita, it's Jacqui. Look, it's going to take just a smidgeon of time to convince mamma bear of letting you back in, but I'm sure we can work something out. Wanna' head out for a movie?"

Aelita hesitated, "Just how did you get this number?"

"You're not the only one that snoops around when your roommate isn't looking. By the way, nice phone, where did you get it? I've yet to see one like it."

"It's from Germany." Aelita replied, "We'll go to a film. What do you want to see?"

"Up to you," Jacqui replied. 

"I have an idea. I have a friend who usually is something of a film buff. Would you like to go to a film of her choosing?"

"Sure, who is it?"

"Sissi Delmas. She's my neighbor."

Jacqui thought, "_Smooth, sis. Pawning off your movie night on me." _

"Sure, I'll go with her. See you in a bit."

Jacqueline soon was back on campus and headed through the main hall. As she came through the doors, she thought, "Thank God for the AC, it's humid as hell out there. I can take a shower, and two days from now, I still won't be dry."

As Jacqueline headed up the stairwell and then walked down the second half, and through the dorm to Sissi's room. She knocked.

Sissi opened the door, "Look, whoever this is," she started to say, and then her eyes beheld the girl before her. Her eyes went wide, almost like dinner plates, and her lip trembled. 

Jacqueline saw her look and said, "I'm sorry, is this Sissi Delmas's room? I heard she wanted to see a movie."

Sissi backed up slowly and very silently closed the door. Jacqueline stood staring at the door and then shrugged, turning to head towards her room.

Sissi reopened the door very cautiously and peeked out, no one in sight. She darted out of the room and sped towards her father's office. Sissi soon arrived, and she quickly knocked on the door. There wasn't an immediate answer, so she knocked harder.

Soon Jean-Pierre opened, and seeing the face of his daughter said, "Elisabeth, what wrong, dear?" 

She came in, and she said, "Daddy, do you remember Justine Finch?" 

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Yes. She was your babysitter when you were younger—why?"

"What happened to her?" Sissi asked.

"She was killed by her boyfriend, Rodney. I remember you cried for days. How do you not remember that? She was your friend."

"Daddy—" she said her voice a fraction of its usual power, "I saw her—she's alive."

Jean-Pierre sat down, "Elisabeth, sweetheart, that's not possible. There's no such thing as ghosts."

Sissi looked at him, "Let me see our old picture together, daddy. Please."

Jean-Pierre saw the seriousness on her face and so went to his mid-right-hand desk drawer and took out a photo. It was of Sissi, himself, Justine, and Rodney at Sissi's twelfth birthday. He gave it to Sissi, and she looked at it. 

Her hand trembled, her face grew white, "It—it is a ghost." She thought.

Back at the North-Gate compound, Terry was looking at the various monitors the program had established. Until recently, things had held stable. However, something was different. This time, it was very different. He read the energy projections emanating from the German border. However, the range of the projections was growing substantially larger every half-hour. Terry typed a few lines of code and pressed enter on his keyboard. The data took a moment to compile, and when the results came through, he said, "Oh my God!"

He tapped into his implant, "Calling all North-Gate Operatives! Preservation Stations! I repeat, Preservation Stations! This is not a drill, repeat this is not a fucking drill!"

Jacqueline got the message, and she immediately started running through the hall and down the stairwell. Yolanda stopped her work in the infirmary, excusing herself, and headed immediately at a fast walk to her car. 

As Jacqueline ran, she tapped into her implant, "Terry, what's happening?!"

Enrique patched in as well, "What's goin' on, man? We haven't had this in years!"

Amelia patched in, "Let him speak!"

Terry replied to all the operatives, "There's not a lot of time. There is another program active. I saw some activity in Germany, and it has grown a tiny bit here and there. However, I noticed spikes in energy output over the last few days. I don't know who is commanding this shit, I don't know who spearheaded it, but that range is growing by fourteen miles every half hour. I am going to insist all of us switch to field-kits in case our countermeasure fries our implants." 

Jacqueline replied, "Affirmative. Making the switch now."

"As am I," Maria replied. 

"Roger," Emilio replied. 

"Switch over Complete," Enrique replied. 

"Transition finished," Yolanda replied. 

"All good here, man," Frankie replied. 

Jacqueline was nearing the factory, "Nearly on site. Jumpstart the overseers. Get Dio active. If what you're saying is accurate, I predict a breach program going on simultaneously. I know mother's behind this. This has her fingerprints all over it."

Terry continued to watch the energy platform for North-Gate and soon noticed a small alert. He said, "Breach by Spooks! Outer perimeter range of two and a half miles." 

Yolanda replied, "How many miles?"

"Two and a half and closing!" Terry replied.

Enrique gave a yell, "Frankie, spooks, second junction, let's go!"

Frankie replied, "Affirmative. We have to take down these fuckers before they give away our conduit position!"

Terry was looking at the North-Gate grid as the outer layer sensors were lighting up like a Christmas tree.

Jacqueline said, "I'm on sight. We need to act before the third barrier is breached, where do the Spooks stand?" 

"They're being received on the outer skirt," Terry replied. 

Maria said, "Sylvia, our energy reserves are too depleted to make it! The counter-measure needs more juice, but if we use too much, we'll black hole a lot of our progress." 

"Listen!" Jacqueline yelled, "Strip every program we don't need, and I mean now! Reroute every four conduits of those projects into each layer, every layer!"

The process was being activated, and Terry was doing the calculations. The range from Germany was steadfastly increasing, growing ever closer. Terry contacted Yolanda, "Pick your favorite program." 

"What?!" Yolanda asked in shock.

Terry yelled, "You want us all to live, you sacrifice one of the medical programs now! The drain is still too powerful!"

Yolanda wept a bit, "Fine! The Field Hospital!"

Jacqueline was in the factory looking at the hologram of the North-Gate attack by the government forces. She was doing many calculations in her mind. Accessing her field kit, she asked, "Marie, where does the city stand on overload potential?"

Maria did a few calculations, "Sixty percent."

"Tap into it. We can save the field hospital. Then, calibrate Kaori's building into our backup server. If my calculations are correct, we can fire off our Countermeasure using the backup city generators. It'll hurt us and cause a blackout in the city, but it takes a lot more out of them." 

Maria then replied, "What about Frankie and Enrique?"

"Reinforcements are en-route. They'll be alright, hopefully. If they keep their heads." Jacqueline replied.

Terry rejoined the conversation, "Countermeasure being prepared. How long until we tap into the city grid?"

Maria replied, "Ten seconds, starting now."

Jacqueline thought a moment and said, "Terry, I'm going into Lyoko. Set up the transfer station to receive me at Satellite Five. I will not have this be a waste."

"Understood prepping transfer now," Terry replied. 

Jacqueline went down into the scanner room and entered the central scanner. The door closed, and soon Jacqueline felt the energy surge, and she opened her eyes, and she was in Lyoko.

Maria looked at Terry, "She's in."

Maria got up and gave an immense sigh to just decompress from what was happening.

Soon there was a ping on the screen, "Countermeasure Armed."

Terry spoke into Lyoko, "Sylvia, are you ready?"

He received her response, "We are ready."

Terry swallowed hard, "All units stand by for Countermeasure. God be with us all." 

Terry pressed a button, and a powerful deep hum was heard throughout the building. 

At Kadic, all power went down. The phone-lines fell dead, the buildings went dark, the AC turned off. Aelita was in her room when this happened. She knew the school had a backup generator, so she wasn't worried. But something else concerned her, Jacqueline had not been back for over an hour.

At the government testing facility, Dr. Madelyn Gupta was looking at her own energy readings based on the machine she had overseen being built based on Waldo Schaeffer's notes. However, she noticed the energy spiking and spiking to a remarkable degree. She grew alarmed. 

"What is happening?!" She asked her fellow officers.

"We don't know. We don't know what this is or where it came from!"

Gupta saw the energy spike climbing more and more, and then she felt it, tingling in her hands and feet. Her hair began to become frizzy and erratic. She gasped as she heard a very high-pitched hum. Soon, people around her were screaming at the sound. 

A man screamed, "What the hell is that?!"

Gupta screamed, "I have never heard that before!"

The sound grew increasingly shrill, and Gupta and others screamed in agony as a result, and then it was silent, silent as death. Gupta and all others in the area were in stunned silence. Then they heard it, a crackling. Gupta saw electrical current crackling all around them. She remembered in the notes of North-Gate, "My God," She thought, "This is the countermeasure." She bolted from her position and jumped out the nearest window and fell into the hedgerow beneath. 

Gupta looked around her, the entire building seemed to be encased in the directed current. The very street pulsated and emanated with electrical charges. The air itself seemed so enriched with energy that Gupta felt that she was in that state she experienced when she accidentally touched the metal rod when changing a lightbulb. It was before the shock, a feeling and taste in the air that was nearly indescribable, a fuzzy and yet elusive taste of metal and her tongue feeling numb. 

Gupta looked around and saw the currents around her arching slowly upward as if something were being focused. She was amazed by the sight, dazzled by it as the energy climbed in increments higher and higher into the sky. She wondered as she beheld this spectacle, what was going on, she then found that it was slowly gravitating in focus to the west. She was puzzled, and then she realized it. 

Gupta ran as fast as her legs could carry her towards the public announcement shed. Once inside, she turned it on as it was in a safe place that was well insulated. Gupta screamed, "EVERYONE! GET OUT OF BUILDING FOUR! GET OUT! GET OUT!" 

Then it happened, a massive electrical crack was heard throughout the area. Gupta closed the door and took cover underneath the console. Suddenly, a great rush of air was heard, a deep harmonized hum in A-flat, and a blinding light so powerful that Gupta couldn't help but see it through her tightly closed eyelids. Then it was silent, the only sound was that of reverberating thunder. Gupta got up from underneath the console, and to her amazement, she was not dead. 

Heading out, she found that the area was untouched. Gupta looked around. Everything was fine, everything seemed practically untouched. She headed back to building four, and when she reached the perimeter, her jaw dropped open like a trunk and stayed so. Before her was a new kind of destruction. There was no crater, there was not rubble. All the remained of the former splendor of building four was a perfect outline of blackness where the building used to stand. Gupta approached and touched the black substance. To her shock, it was literally the very finest ash; ash that was still very warm to the touch.


	45. Chapter 45

Dear readers, thank you all so much for your continued support. This will be your last chapter until I return from my vacation. Without your support, this work would not be possible, and I am incredibly grateful. I thank God for his help with allowing me the vision to plot this chapter as well as a layout for future chapters. Thank you all, and I'll see you next chapter.-Pagliacci-11

Chapter 45

Jacqueline was silently walking home from the factory. The sky was overcast with outlets of the sun shining through; the air oppressive in its humidity. Jacqueline as she walked thought on all that had transpired. She had bought more than enough time. The independent project had been shattered, and that was a major victory. In a way, Jacqueline knew that the justification of funds to build another form of countermeasure to Lyoko and North-Gate would be a very tricky and tedious matter. The government, while willing to do all that was necessary to stop both projects, Jacqueline knew instinctively that a financial black hole for what was deemed a terminated project was in the eyes of the state, wasteful.

Jacqueline smiled to herself. In many ways, she knew this game was, in fact, one of patience. Had North-Gate lost progress? Yes. But for Jacqueline, to deal with an active threat that had far more significant real-life ramifications for the project's longevity was a justifiable sacrifice for her loss.

Jacqueline tapped into her implant and contacted Terry. Once connected, she asked, "Damage assessment, what our most impactful losses?" 

Terry replied, "Thanks to our action, we only lost the colonization extrapolation protocol. That is the most substantial loss. The rest of the losses were not so many losses as being severely inhibited in progress. It's nothing that redoubling the energy output from our external sources can't remedy." 

Jacqueline replied, "Very good. Better than I thought, honestly. So, what next you think?"

Terry replied, "We have time now. A bit of breathing room, but we will prepare the harvester subroutine for our reserves. That way, we get a greater return for our investments for the unit development."

"That would be wise," Jacqueline replied. "Have them standby in the vicinity of the factory. I have a feeling we'll have a showdown there soon enough."

"Very good. How many active units? Remember, the place isn't as isolated as it looks, we have to account for civilian bystanders." 

Jacqueline pondered this then said, "We'll have three detachments. Two underground, one above within the factory. Download the layout of the sewer system and the factory into each unit's routines, so if our friends visit the factory, they are oblivious to the units' presence." 

"Done. What about reinforcements if things get really hairy?"

"Have the mechanics on standby along the various rooftops. They are small enough to be placed on those locations, and none be the wiser. If things get too far, we'll instate Icarus to take the field." 

"Sylvie, it will take time to instate Icarus. What's plan B for reinforcements?"

"What about Yolanda's Redirection Principle if we had a few of those as the literal supports?

"That would more than work!" Terry replied, "I'll start their production right now. We'll have three, one for each infantry unit."

"Think ahead, Terry." Jacqueline replied, "If they figure out the linkage between the two, we're screwed. Instate the self-preservation protocol. Once that is implemented, it will be a literal patience match. The opposition will exhaust resources. We use the encounter, and we observe the patterns and methods. Capture all the bodies we can to better the soldiers and their technology. Once done, they will be reprocessed based on their performance."

Terry was silent, "Alright, good plan. Now, how do you intend to adapt to the overall situation? What forces should we focus on? Nietzsche or the Unified Mind?"

"Personally," Jacqueline replied as she approached the street Yumi's house was on, "I would not discount either option. We need to be sure of our tests. Choosing either one can only be determined after enough experimentation with our adversary."

"Yes, but how much experimentation is needed?" Terry replied, "With respect, love, these things take time to launch. You need to decide on the overall emphasis soon. If you wait too long, we will be too underpowered to take a stand where it matters."

Jacqueline nodded, "I understand. Look, I just need a bit of time to decide which doctrine to embrace."

"Alright, you have two weeks. Once over, we, as an operation, need an answer. We need a heading. I don't mean to be rude, Sylvie, but we need direction." 

"Understood." Jacqueline was approaching Yumi's house, "Focus on counter-intelligence resource development. The overall goal is the protection of the people, not their oppression. We will start with counter-espionage emphasis, and once that has been processed, we focus on the realms of food, manufacturing, and energy. That should keep our efforts busy for a while.

Once we have successfully established the first phases of specialization, we designate sectors specifically towards the generation of resources. As our progress advances, we upgrade the sectors one by one with more advanced methods. Efficiency at the end of the day is our emphasis, but we'll let nature do a lot of the heavy lifting."

Jacqueline came before the Ishiyama door and was about to knock, but she hesitated. She considered how this would end, how very quickly go south. She turned from the door and headed back onto the main sidewalk and back towards Kadic.

Jacqueline then said, "Alright, so. As I said, this is our heading for right now. We have breathing room but, you are right, Terry. I must decide, and time is of the essence. I'll have your answer in a week."

Terry replied, "Excellent. But before you go, what is our trump card?" 

Jacqueline replied, "I had a lot of time to think about that. I feel it best to use Aliatha's Embrace."

"Ah, good call, perfect call. Alright, we will calibrate the system accordingly. What is your point of emphasis for the Embrace?"

"I thought of that. We will focus on restoration. As powerful as the destructive elements are, we have military doctrines to meet the force aspect of the equation. We need the Embrace to focus on mending and sustenance. We have our nodes set up for informational transfer, I double-checked that while I was in the satellite. Begin reception, and once you have the major blueprints, begin production to instill this in the mind of every active unit and asset."

Terry replied, "I'm glad you have given thought to this. You'll get what you need. After a week, I will ask the hard questions. Enjoy your week."

Jacqueline nodded, "Thank you for helping me, Terry. I greatly appreciate it."

"Hey, as I said, no problem. Enjoy yourself, kid." 

As Terry turned off his implant, he turned and faced the whole of the North-Gate team. They had listened to the conversation, all of them considering what had been said. Yolanda sat down across from Terry, and the rest of the group looked at each other.

"Well, you heard her plans," Terry spoke finally, "What do you all think?"

Enrique spoke first as he lit a cigarette, "It's interesting, I can say that much. But I more than get Yolanda's grievances and skepticism. I find this is too quick a heel-turn. I am not saying Sylvie hasn't changed; she may very well be genuine for all I know. But I gotta' be honest, I have an internal alarm going off." 

Emilio replied, "Hey, no one believed your heel turn at first, either. You went from the greediest and deceitful asshole to a philanthropic person incapable of deception. The thing is, I think all of us have a natural predisposition to be a bit skeptical of sudden change. Something had to happen, we all know nothing exists in a vacuum. If Sylvia has changed, there is a reason. I, for one, want to give her the benefit of the doubt and give her a chance."

Yolanda then spoke, "I'm sorry, I just have a tough time buying it. I really do." 

Enrique then spoke, "Why, exactly?"

"It just doesn't feel right! You guys, don't you remember who this person is? This is the same person that killed hundreds of thousands of people merely because she elected to follow the consensus of her neighbors. She took no stance of her own, she was willingly the instrument of genocide! She killed all those people because a combined consensus had enough of them."

Maria then spoke, "Hold on, Londa! You were not at her decision tables; you were not in her inner chambers, hearing what she thought! You condemn her too much. You need to understand that the monster you call, monster, she was made! She was not born a monster; she was made one. Monsters are made abhorrent because people _make_ them abhorrent! I was there, I was at the table. Terry, Emilio, and I. Yes, she did bad things, she did_ horrible_ things. But the sad part is, you are only noticing it now because it affected you personally. You did not want to lose people, big shock, no one does. You're only harping on her because she negatively affected you by impacting the ones you cared about."

Emilio nodded, "This is true, however, let's consider Yolanda's argument. Because she's not exactly wrong. There is a legitimate complaint if you simply act as an instrument of your neighbor's will against other people, and you just do it. So, let's look at the actual facts of the matter, shall we? We're talking about the Misionni genocide, right?"

Enrique nodded, "Yeah, it was one of the defining moments of not only the little lady but the North-Gate campaign overall."

Emilio nodded, "Okay, so let's see here." He went to a console, and he pulled up North-Gate's operational history, "Okay, let's sit down and go over this." He sat down, as well as the rest of the group, except Terrance and Yolanda, who were already sitting.

As Emilio looked over the record, he said, "Okay, now, this is what kicked off this whole deal. Essentially the leader of the Misionni people was an absolute jerk. According to the grievance of one General Kolgani of the Sengali, the leader of the Misionni, General Vladek Taiklasku took advantage of what was an apparently very lucrative friendship with the Sengali. Vladek felt it was within his right to perform a hostile takeover, not only of one but two harbors, which doubled over as a primary source of food and energy for the Sengali people.

Now, Vladek was warned, after the first attempt to restore to withdraw forces and restore to the Sengali the first harbor, he did not. Vladek was then publicly shamed on the world council stage for his actions. This did not stop him, and he kept ownership of his seizures. In the grand scheme, a lot more could have been done on the efforts of the nations. However, he had done this by and large to all the countries. Ideally, yes, they could have dealt with the general and just killed him. But the army was more loyal to him than their own king, so they knew that was not exactly a viable option. The strength of the Misionni army itself was extensively considered. It was a resilient powerhouse that none dare honestly deal with because of "overwhelming resources that would keep it running." 

So, the council met with Sylvia and the North-Gate protocol, which operated under the moniker, Light's Lance. After extensive deliberation, the leaders affirmed by majority vote if they were to supply Sylvia and Light's Lance with the resources that she would need and what she required as a payment, that the threat Misionni would be, in the words of the council, "sufficiently dealt with by any means necessary."

Sylvia, once an allowance from the nations had been agreed upon, used the income for developing the Nietzsche Doctrine. Using this doctrine, she was able to run numerous tests after extensive surveillance to further perfect both soldier resilience and weaponry capabilities. With the support of the affected nations, Sylvia coordinated many aspects of what ended up as fruitless negotiation efforts. Realizing that Misionni was a militarized tyranny by the majority, Sylvia once more approached the affected nations and asked to be sure of their requests to subdue the Misionni. After giving them two weeks to deliberate, the council came forward with their judgment, the verdict reached by a unanimous majority was that Misionni was to be "routed and repurposed in accordance to the Light's Lance vision."

As their agreement of benefit, all illegally seized territories would be returned to their respective nations. All citizens of the Misionni would be assessed with the help of Light's Lance census technology. The citizens would be handed over to the benefactor nations based on a pre-arranged agreement of distribution of "necessary craftsmen." The cities themselves would be handed over to Light's Lance to either completely dismantle for raw resources or to be given out; however, Light's Lance saw fit. As payment for this immense service of dealing with the Misionni and Vladek by extension, Light's Lance would be compensated by the nations with the eightieth percentile of all resources derived from the field of battle, human dead, supplies, or weaponry. This extended to include any defenders of any cities during sieges and the food and belongings of those defenders." 

Emilio closed the file, "So, in synopsis, I know you have grievances with Sylvia, we all know you do, Yolanda. We all have our grievances with her actions because we all here have been personally affected by her. But you have to understand that you have to look at the context of what happened despite you are justified to feel that way. No one here knows everything about the whole North-Gate system. We all know what we are designated to know by our talents. The simple fact is this, you had friends that were on the other side of the fence. Now let me ask you, answer honestly, please. Did you know that the project was elected to eradicate the Misionni people by consent of the surrounding powers?"

Yolanda sighed, "Yes. I didn't agree with it then, I don't now. I tried warning my friends, I even begged Sylvia to spare them, she didn't do it!"

Maria spoke, "What were your friends' vocations in the empire?"

"One of them was on the front lines; the others were civilians just like you or me. The point is, I begged Sylvia to spare them, I was on my knees! You know what she said, 'I cannot choose who lives or dies in this regard. Your friend serves on the front, that is his choice. His family serves as civilians; their fate is out of my hands.' 

Enrique nodded, "Well, I see your point, but she's not wrong, she doesn't have power over that."

"But she _did, _Enrique! That's the whole point! She had the information; she had been spying on the armies for months! She knew the detachment my friend was part of, I told her the detachment, the division—down to his fucking rifle! She could have spared him, hell spared his whole division, and if she had, I wouldn't even be having this conversation."

Frankie, who had been silent this whole time, cleared his throat, "May I throw my two cents in?"

Terry nodded, "Go ahead, Frankie."

"With respect to you, Dorothy, I more than get your point. If Sylvia had the data, there is no reason she couldn't have spared your friend." 

"Thank you!" Yolanda said

"But!" Frankie shouted, "You have to understand because I oversaw the training of those under the Nietzsche protocol. They are trained to follow her orders to the letter. But it depends on _what _she tells them to do. If her orders are simply to kill, she will choose the method by which they are to kill their targets, but the units follow her orders without hesitation. There is an easy way to determine if she bore you any malice, however. And if what you say is true, her genuine nature will show itself. Emilio, go to the battle log of all battles under the genocide."

Emilio accessed the records, "What am I looking for, Frankie?" 

Frankie looked at Yolanda, "What was your friend's name and division?"

"Lt. Louis Fairchild. 221st Forward Infantry, Pellman's Division 3."

Frankie looked at her and then looked at Emilio, "Root search Pellman's Division 3. Battle-Record: Orders Given."

Emilio accessed the search, "Got it."

"Read the log, please," Frankie replied. 

Emilio read, "Pellman's Divisions 1-10 engaged at the Battle of Kerrithmorr Pass 6:20 AM. Salvo given to announce presence and allow enemy rally forces. The battle began at 7:30 AM. Divisions 7-10 held out until 8:10 steadily reinforcing the forward divisions of 1-6. Divisions 7-10 were routed by a combination of primary vanguard forces and support units. The primary cause of death of Divisions 7-10 was a mix of traditional ballistics and assimilation protocol to prolong the longevity of vanguard units. Of the total of Divisions 7-10 by the treatise, forty percent were assimilated the remainder terminated through traditional methods. 

Upon the defeat of divisions 7-10, 1-6 fell back and were pursued by vanguard units 2-8 and support units 1-3. Division 1-2 engaged and dispatched through support units' heavy volt guns. Body's were taken to be assimilated, and weapons confiscated for study. Divisions 3-4 were routed twenty-five minutes later through a designated command. Divisions three and four were routed as they lay cover-fire for 5-6. Vanguard and support units circled around divisions 5-6 encampment and terminated the formerly mentioned divisions through conventional methods.

Divisions 3-4 were then surrounded as the vanguard, and support came in from behind as Divisions 3-4 were facing down the perceived threat from the front and sides. Division 3-4"—Emilio was silent, and he looked at Yolanda and then at Frankie. Frankie looked at him, "Finish, son." Emilio continued, "3-4 was terminated from behind through conventional fire from the flank. There were no survivors. General's Log:" Emilio looked at Yolanda, "Come read this."

Yolanda came over, and she read the following, "General's Log: From high-command to General 0006 Body of Louis Fairchild, Serial Number 0053178, distinguishing marks, a tattoo of a skull on the right shoulder, 3rd Division Pellman. If killed in fog of war scenario: take the body and send it to parents in the town of Gerimoska. Clean up the body, patch wounds. He is to be sent home whole and beautiful to be buried in honor." General Statement: "Killed in the fog of war. High Command order has been processed and fulfilled; Body will arrive in two days." 

Yolanda stepped away from the monitor and took a sigh, "She at least buried him with dignity. That said, it wasn't like she couldn't have spared him either." 

Enrique stepped forward, "In all reality, Yolanda, it's very likely in not promising you anything, it was a gentle admission she couldn't control what was to happen. The sad thing is you are more like Sylvia was when she first started out with all this than you'll admit. A lot of things you have stated should be excellent in theory. Key phrase, _in theory. _Do you have any idea how jarring it was for Sylvia to get out of her own head with the theoretical, and then when reality hit, she became frustrated? The expression, the best-laid plans of mice and men, have existed for a reason. I know that for you, hell, for a lot of us, a lot of things should be theoretically and logically possible. The sad truth is reality has so many extenuating factors when it comes to everything from war to government to citizenry, you simply cannot foresee everything, so you simply shouldn't try. It took a long time for everyone to come to terms with this; Sylvia, most of all." 

Yolanda nodded, "Look, don't think I condemn Sylvia for everything. It's just fine, I'll say it, she's so damn condescending, she thinks she knows a whole lot of shit when in reality, she just strikes me as a hot-headed kid with a bit of experience compared to the rest of us. I'm sorry, but it's how I feel. I know a lot of you are willing to give her a chance, but damn it, if she didn't come off as such a bitch, such a pretentious prick, I would be able to tolerate her a bit more."

Emilio nodded, "But remember Yolanda, she is not what she appears to be. Much like Aelita, the effect of North-Gate has stunted her physical growth only, mentally, she's very much up there. Do you really think we would let some hot-headed kid as you call her run this whole thing on her lonesome? Heck no! Thing is, she's always needed help with this stuff. Is she pretentious in her speaking? Yes. Is she rude? Yes. But you, Yolanda, must have a bit of grace as my grandmother used to say. Sylvia's very smart, she is a good person deep down, but she's what I'd call socially inept. It's not exactly her fault, she had no real role-models. Much like your grievance with her not showing love, it's not that Sylvia _can't. _It is that she never had it shown to her."

Frankie nodded, "I agree with that. Because look at her history, look at who she is. Going back to the whole nature vs. nurture argument. In Sylvia's case, as most people like her, nurture or lack thereof played a key role in shaping who she is today. The sad thing is, I think if my theory's right, Sylvia never had time to grieve. Think about it for a minute. This is someone who had her father murdered in front of her; she was physically tortured after all she knew of her life was nullified. Sylvia was a child. Considering what happened, I think she was simply put to sleep when she was locked into North-Gate. The pain was never sorted out, it was never talked about. In many ways, she is a bomb waiting to go off. And I do not think it would be so much anger as it would be crippling sadness." 

Terry nodded, "You're right, Frankie. When the tapes were played, I saw all that pain come back, but she let out the pain. But it's just the beginning. We all know you don't just get over something like that and move on. It comes in waves, much as it comes in waves when a loved one dies. You can be fine one moment and then bawling the next. That's what we have to look out for. In all reality, Sylvia is still a kid despite how she's as smart as she is. In many ways, she's was forced to grow up fast, and that is perhaps one of the greater tragedies." 

Maria nodded, "I know. That is the tragedy. It doesn't take a psychoanalyst to see what Sylvia's doing now. She wants her childhood back, the reason she's walking around as a teenager is that she genuinely wants the teenage experience. Sure, she can pretty it up by arguing she has to be sure of her actions, but how many of us actually buy that?" 

The group chuckled as a whole, and Enrique said, "Hey, wouldn't we all want to go back and live through those times?" 

Maria laughed, "Not me. Acne, the ravaging nature of puberty, getting acquainted with violent mood swings, forget it."

Emilio nodded, "The acne, I think, is the worst part. Well, that and the awful b.o. you produce as a guy in general. And your fellow people don't shower _nearly_ as much as they should, ugh, disgusting! Look at Herve at Kadic, a brilliant guy mentally but such an awkward nerd and ugly because of his acne that he isn't even on the radar of most."

"On the flip side of the puberty angle, you have the fact that women start the wonderful luxury of blood-filled menstrual cycles." Maria pointed out.

"Ah, yes, the dreaded first steps of learning how to tame the dragon," Terry said. 

The rest of the men laughed, even Frankie gave a small chuckle.

"Oh, that's real mature, Terry," Yolanda said as she sat down. 

"What?" Terry said with a smile, "Are you saying that women _don't_ have mood swings linked to their hormonal fluctuations once a month?"

Frankie said, "Buddy, I advise you to shut up." 

Enrique nodded, "Despite how many us would agree with you, you're entering the arena alone on this one, brother." 

Terry smirked, "Really? What's gonna' happen? Deny me sex? Big deal, I'll just rub one out. Sometimes you must take a hit for the team, just saying."

Yolanda looked at him, "I could give you a pill that would start erectile disjunction. I could do that."

Emilio burst out laughing, "Wow! A bit extreme and the epitome of petty, wouldn't you say, Londie?"

Yolanda rolled her eyes, "Anyway, look, I'm a bit harsh on Sylvie, maybe. However, can one of you please sit her down and just give her a lesson in manners?"

Terry nodded, "I will, for your convenience and peace of mind, yes. However, Londie doesn't think herself better than us; in fact, she doesn't think herself better than anyone. It boils down to Maria. I think you can agree with me on this, it boils down that Sylvia has seen a lot of the harsh truths of reality far before she should have been. Even then, the doses have been powerful." 

Maria nodded, "I agree with that. See, Sylvia, while she may come across as such, her view is not superiority on a literal 'I think I'm better than you' aspect. Not at all. The thing is, it's like you said yourself, Londie. If you see patterns over and over, and there is no genuine change—in the mind of any person, the lack of change may be a constant. Thing is with Sylvia; the girl is stubborn. Once she gets a notion into her head, and it's sufficiently argued, and viable facts used to back it up, there's no getting it out again. Unless you can prove to Sylvia through irrefutable fact, not just opinion, your stance whatever it may be, you won't change her mind. I am not saying it cannot be done, but it takes work to do so. But we know she's a child emotionally, you can't be too harsh with her because I personally think she doesn't know in terms of the everyday situation how to relate to people." 

Enrique was about to speak, but he changed his mind. Terry noticed this and said, "Something to add, Rick?"

Enrique pondered and said, "No, nothing. I need more proof before I make any rash statements."

Terry nodded, "Alright, so with our heading in mind, what's the general consensus of opinion concerning what is happening?" 

Yolanda spoke, "Give the girl a chance but watch her. Something as much as I want to trust her, I just can't. I'm not dismissing she's trying to change, but keep your eyes open. That's my two cents." 

Terry nodded and wrote this down on a small notepad and then said, "Enrique, what have you to say?"  
Enrique took a breath and then replied, "Honestly, boss, I don't think Yolanda is wrong to be skeptical. The kid needs watching, but more than that, I would say, we should take a back seat and see what happens. Londie and our insider are our inside sources. I propose we use them in alternation to genuinely verify key elements of her behavior. I just want to keep a lid on what could potentially be a problem, the problem that Londie likely sees, but we cannot be so dismissive of Sylvia's change we don't allow growing pains to occur. Make sense?"

Terry nodded, "In synopsis, I think you're saying, give her space to be herself. Keep an eye on her, for sure, but don't be so quick to dismiss everything we see."

Enrique nodded, "Yeah, there you go."

Terry wrote this down and then said, "Marie, what about you?"

"I'm inclined to agree with Enrique. I will accept that maybe Yolanda has a point, and she's likely seen something that has given her reason to doubt Sylvia's change. However, for the record, I would prefer Yolanda to be forthright and say what is on her mind. This way, we could have an idea of what to look out for. If her skepticism is merely based on animosity, be it admitted or omitted, and not viable facts, we could be chasing our tails and wasting time and resources."

Terry wrote this down, "So allow ground-level observation with rotation. And your request for the record has been noted."

Once he had finished this, he said, "Emilio, your turn."

Emilio replied, "I have nothing to add."

Terry wrote this down and said, "Frankie, you?"

Frankie nodded, "I agree with Miss. Marie. Yolanda must have a reason to be suspicious. Otherwise, I think she would be more on board. However, Yolanda, if you do not tell us what's on your mind, we can't accurately say if your fears are grounded. Personally, I advocate for a review of Sylvia's actions and interactions with the North-Gate engine as well as look at the record of her use of her personal field kit. I propose we do this before we do anything else. That way, we can properly ascertain just where Sylvia, as an individual entity, stands. It is better to be thorough and sure than leave anything to chance." 

Terry wrote this down, "Very good. Frank has put a motion before the floor. To review Sylvia-Anna's actions with the North-Gate engine as well as analyze her field-kit for character assessment. The motion requires a second." 

Emilio rose his hand, "I second."

Terry wrote this down, "The motion has been seconded. All parties in favor, raise your hand."

All but Maria and Terry rose their hand. 

Terry then spoke, "All opposed."

Terry rose his hand, but Maria did not move. 

Terry looked at her, "All abstaining?"

Maria raised her hand.

Terry noted, "The record will show the ayes carry the motion by majority rule with one abstention and one opposed. The motion passes." 

Back at Kadic, Jacqueline was walking through the dorm hallways, merely taking in the overall sedate nature of the building. As she walked, Jacqueline reflected on all that she had been privileged to see over her life. So many lessons, some of them gentle in presentation, others learned through hardship and loss. She walked in silence and took her time, relishing the sound her feet made on the floor. Sylvia wasn't quite sure why she liked the sound her footfall made; she only knew that she did. 

Unknown to her, Sissi was walking silently at a respectable distance so as not to be found out. As she followed Jacqueline, she thought, "_It is her. Despite what daddy says, it is her. Her way of walking was always distinctive, heel-toe, heel-toe." _

Sissi remembered this detail of her former babysitter, Justine Finch. She was a college student whom Jean-Pierre would leave Sissi with while he worked on a few elements to secure the headmaster's position at Kadic. Sissi knew it was not uncommon for her father's nights to be long as he prepared for the upcoming meetings. But, she remembered Justine made it so much easier. Every night she went over, they'd talk about all kinds of things. Justine was very much a laid back kind of individual. She was just that kind of person, a relaxed person that likely sure had a lot of problems, but if she did, she never let them carry over into her time with Sissi.

Sissi remembered the small apartment to, strange how that time seemed so very removed from today. It was a time where Jean-Pierre was on a meager salary as a teacher at Kadic. While it was true that Sissi wanted her father to retire when the time came, she understood in time that Jean-Pierre's sacrifices during those long nights, the apartment they lived in, wasn't bad considering income was all to give her a better future. Even though the rest of Kadic may not necessarily believe her to be in touch with the 'real world' as it was termed, Sissi knew a whole lot more than she ever would say.

But she remembered the fun she had at Justine's place. Justine was admittedly a person of few words, but when she did speak, Sissi remembered the conversations they would have. Sissi would present what she knew now to be generalizations of how things worked, and Justine would simply listen. However, Sissi knew that Justine, on some level, knew the overall situation. She knew that Sissi didn't like her father's long nights away, having been a child raised in a similar case. Therefore, Justine made spending time at the apartment as relaxed as she could.

Sissi snapped back to the present as she saw Jacqueline enter her dorm. Sissi went up to the door and gently leaned against the wall. She heard Aelita's voice speak first.

"Where have you been? It doesn't take an hour and a half to walk to Yumi's?"

"Okay, so? I went on a bit of the tour of the town, I call it a stylized detour. Besides, when I was out, I noticed the city went black. Considering the heat and there wouldn't be a comfortable place to relax, I walked around the park outside." Jacqueline replied.

"So, you've been just walking around for an hour?" Aelita asked.

"Not _just _walking around. I was getting a feel for the place, enjoying the overall silence, taking in the sights."

Aelita replied, "Taking in the sights? Okay, what kinds of sights did you see, Happy Wanderer?"

"You continue to impress me with your musical knowledge." Jacqueline said with a smile, "To answer your question, saw the bombsight that a few people talked about; checked out the few local eateries around here, that kind of thing. I saw a cool-looking derelict factory out on the river, and I guess honestly that and the bomb site are the only like I guess, legitimate landmarks, but apart from that, eh, same old, same old." 

Aelita nodded, "So you saw the old Renault place, huh? What'd you think?"

"The what?" Jacqueline asked.

"The old Renault place," Aelita replied, "that's the name of the factory you saw, at least in this township's common vernacular."

Jaqueline waved her hand, "It's not bad, I guess. When was Renault a thing? Because that place looks like it hasn't been used in years."

"Well, you'd be right in your assessment. But, not as you would think. It is one of the last remnants of production from World War II in terms of what even I would call viable contributions. The place has been shut down for several years. That said, it's a nice bit of history to see and have relatively close to home. I feel it reminds us of what happened over time—that it wasn't some weird fever dream where Germany took on the world and almost won."

Jacqueline nodded, "Has the power come back on here, yet?"

"Not just yet. The generator's on the fritz. So, it may take a bit longer for things to cool down—but hey, that's the tradeoff of living at a boarding school like this."

Jacqueline sat down on her, cot, "That doesn't make sense. This is a pretty good boarding school, good standards, an obvious element of economic pedigree among our fellow students with a few exceptions. How do you have all this income and have a shoddy generator?" 

Aelita laughed a bit, "Jacqui, it's not that clear cut, it's not that black and white."

Jacqueline retorted, "It's not that hard, either."

Aelita's smile faded, "No, no, it isn't. But how do you know that there is enough to get a new generator?"

Jacqueline sighed, "Never mind."

"No, you are clearly thinking something. Why do you think?" Aelita asked. 

Jacqueline's eyes sharpened, "What do I think? I think that if you have a ram-shackle generator to power a school as a backup—"

"Wait!" Aelita said her voice a bit louder than usual, "I didn't say ramshackle. I said the generator was on the fritz. Meaning the generator is suffering a setback. Secondly, you assumed the generator is shoddy just because it has a setback. It might not be so."

Jacqueline was silent as she looked at Aelita. Aelita saw a look she knew indicated what she was likely to say had been said possibly one time too many. Tact was what was needed in this situation. Aelita closed her eyes, and after a light sigh, said, "Look, I don't mean to be mean to you. I just want you to listen. Okay?"

Jacqueline nodded, and Aelita continued, "I just want you to think carefully about what you say in the future. You generalize a bit too much; you assume far too much. You need to have all the facts before you go off. You are a good person I think, you just—are easily irritated. When I heard you list off your reasons, or shall I say your grievances, I was struck by a theme." Aelita took a moment and then asked, "Efficiency is very important to you, isn't it?" 

Jacqueline sighed, replying, "Yes."

"Okay, good. Another question is, do you equate a setback as a greater issue, or can you accept it as a temporary problem that can be remedied?" 

"Depending on the situation and magnitude of the situation, maybe yes, maybe no."

Aelita nodded, "Alright, so, here—come with me."

Aelita got up and went to the door, "Come on."

Jacqueline got up and followed Aelita out and through the hall, down the stairs, outside towards the maintenance shed. Inside, Jim was sweating and getting more and more frustrated with the generator before him. "Damn, the hunk of junk." He said to himself. 

"Problem, Jim?" Aelita asked.

"It's this danged generator, Stones. For some reason, I can't get it to work as it should." Jim said as he sat on a nearby bench.

Jacqueline went up to Jim and looked at him and then at the generator. She smiled slightly.

"How old is this unit?" Jacqueline asked.

"Oh, it's brand new. That's what's so frustrating. I know the guy who had this installed, and well, under some circumstances, he's no longer here, so I can't ask his help." Jim replied. 

Jacqueline looked around the unit, she knew it well, The Subverted Titan ZLX43. She said, "Well, Jim, the generator isn't the issue. This generator comes with authority-oriented activation. Do you have a key-card of sorts?"

Jim shrugged, "Uh, I think so. I think I can go see if Mr. Delmas has his card. Hold tight."

Jim ran towards Delmas' office, and Aelita slowly approached Jacqueline, "How did you know about the key-card?" 

Jacqueline looked at her and replied, "Come here, I'll show you."

Aelita came forward, and Jaqueline pointed to a small slot above the lever to start the generator, "See that? It's a chip-reader. A card with a chip is inserted. The chip is read by the internal computer, and the authority is given for the lever to unlock, allowing activation or deactivation."

Soon, Jim's hurried footfall could be heard as well as another pair of feet. Jacqueline saw the two individuals coming, and she stepped out of the way. Jim came in as did Jean-Pierre, and both went to the generator. 

"Jim, are you sure this will work?" Jean-Pierre asked.

"Hope so, Sir. We gutted the system Barrow put in here, so I don't know."

"I insisted the generator stay, so they didn't remove its integration." Jean-Pierre replied, "The generator was so efficient, I couldn't bear to part with it. "

Jim nodded, "Well, here's goes nothing." He inserted the card, nothing happened. "Huh?" Jim asked.

Jacqueline said, "It's a chip, Jim. Turn it around and insert it, chip in."

Jim nodded and turned it and inserted it. There was a small click, and there was another click. Jim looked at Delmas and then pulled the lever. The soft hum emanated from the generator, and the nearby external AC units were heard to spring to life. 

"Alright!" Jim exclaimed, "Mr. Delmas, we're back in business!"

Jean-Pierre silently nodded. But he was focused on Jacqueline; he had been since Jacqueline had spoken to Jim. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "_She was right._" Jean-Pierre thought, "_This girl is Justine's spitting image. But—but how?!" _

Jacqueline saw this and asked, "Monsieur Delmas, are you alright?"

Delmas sighed a bit flustered, "Uh, yes, yes. Just the heat playing tricks with me, that's all."

Back inside the dorms, Sissi felt the air kick in. It was pleasant, but it didn't help what was going through her mind. She had listened long enough. The voice she had heard on the other side of the door was without doubt Justine's. The stride, the eyes, the eyes, especially, they were Justine's. But much as her father had asked himself, she now asked herself, "_But how?" _


	46. Chapter 46

_**AN: I returned from my vacation, and I was ecstatic to see that my story has gained so much traction. I greatly appreciate all of you who have read my work, old and new, even those who just pass by. I thank the Lord for his help with the pacing of this chapter and laying the foundations for things to come. I hope all of you read, enjoy, and review. Thank you so much for your support, and see you next chapter. -Pagliacci-11.  
**_

Chapter 46

It was half-past six in the morning, and Jacqueline was awake, silently looking at the pale morning light cast upon the ceiling. Jaqueline turned her head and saw Aelita peacefully sleeping in her bed. Jacqueline turned her head back to look at the light upon the ceiling. She turned the various thoughts over in her mind. Maria had sent her a private communication telling her about the team assessment of her activities. When Maria asked what Jacqueline wanted to do about it, Jacqueline replied, "Nothing." 

Jacqueline knew her actions would be assessed; indeed, they were being evaluated at that very moment. She knew she couldn't hide from the record, and even considering such action was paramount to betrayal by even those loyal to her. So, it was her choice to stay mute until she was called to speak for her actions. The best part was that much of her actions were very easily explainable, and in terms of even someone as jaded as Yolanda, not much fault could be directly applied to Jacqueline. 

Jacqueline got up, and once she gathered her necessary soaps, bathrobe, small towel, and slippers, she headed towards the showers. It was tranquil in the early morning; this was a natural element Jacqueline noticed. However, she equally knew this would change with the gradual influx of children into the school. Jacqueline entered the showers, and she walked patiently into one of the empty stalls, hung up her robe, and gently turned on the water. 

After she had thoroughly cleaned herself, Jacqueline dried off, wrapped herself in her robe, and headed back to the dorm room. As she walked back down the hall, Jacqueline saw Sissi coming out of her room. The young girl's eyes caught Jacqueline's, and Jacqueline looked at her in return. Sissi was still nervous; she was not sure just how to approach the person before her. 

Jacqueline seeing a form of distress in Sissi's eyes, said, "Do I make you uneasy?"

Sissi's eyes widened, and then she replied, "No, not at all. Sorry, but I'm just not used to seeing you around here."

Jacqueline looked at her curiously and replied, "An odd statement as you saw me a day or so ago when I knocked on your door and asked if you'd like to see a movie."

Sissi nodded, "I'm sorry about that. It's just I see your face, and it—never mind."

"No, it's something." Jacqueline replied, "What is it?"

"You just remind me of someone I knew a while back, that's all," Sissi replied.

"I see. Well, I hope that the reminder is a good one." Jacqueline replied, "I'll see you around, Elisabeth."

"Please, call me Sissi. My father is the only one who calls me Elisabeth."

Jacqueline nodded, "As you wish, Sissi." She then proceeded to head into her room.

As Jacqueline entered, she saw Aelita still peacefully asleep. Jacqueline gently closed the door and then took off her robe and dressed in black shorts, a lavender tank-top, white socks, and navy-blue Calvin Klein shoes. Once Jacqueline was dressed, she looked over Aelita once more and then headed back out into the hall leading towards the cafeteria. Once Jacqueline exited the dorms, Jacqueline looked at the sparseness of the courtyard before her. After weighing a few things mentally, she turned towards the recreation room. 

Once she entered, Jacqueline saw a few of the other kids casually lounging about. Jacqueline looked over the whole room, and she spotted a chessboard on a far table. Jacqueline went over to the table and sat down. She opened the small box next to the board and saw the chess pieces and checkers. Jacqueline took out the pieces for checkers, and she lined them up in their appropriate places. Once done, she checked her watch. Jacqueline had five minutes left. That was fine, and so Jacqueline got up and headed over to a magazine rack and not seeing much to her interest, she went over to one of the children. 

"Excuse me, ma'am, would you know where I could get a copy of today's newspaper?" Jacqueline asked.

The girl looked at her, it was Magali de Vasseur, and she replied, "There's a small newspaper case near the main building." 

Jacqueline nodded, "Thank you. What's your name?"

Magali looked at her again, "Magali, what's yours?"

Jacqueline nodded, "Jacqueline. Magali, nice name. What's your surname?"

Magali's eyes widened, and then she smiled, "Quid pro quo. I tell you things; you tell me things. What's your surname?" 

Jacqueline chuckled, "Excellent. My surname is Grey."

Magali nodded, "Mine is de Vasseur." Magali looked at Jacqueline, "If you would care to continue this game, we can. However, what is of more importance? Your paper or our conversation?"

Jacqueline sat across from her, "It can be considered a matter of perspective. But I would answer your question as this; the paper is no more than a resource to stimulate further conversation."

Magali put down her magazine and asked, "Why do you need a newspaper to stimulate a conversation?" 

"I don't _need _it per se." Jacqueline replied, "But to answer your query, it is to provide a broader range of topics for discussion."

Magali looked at her; her eyebrows angled as if slightly angry, and then her face relaxed, "Your verbiage veers towards most verbose. However, if you wish to talk to me as a normal person, drop the pretense of superiority and superfluous eloquence, and then we can talk." Magali went back to her magazine. 

Jacqueline smirked a tiny bit, "Okay, so how would you prefer I talk?"

Magali looked at Jacqueline and said, "You were doing fine for the most part until you started to sound as if you jumped out of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I don't mind how you talk, but you come off as a know-it-all smart-ass." Magali gently put down her magazine and said, "But to answer your query, speak simply and be to the point. You'll get a lot more friends this way." 

Jacqueline nodded, "Thanks for the tip. Something tells me, you've had more than your fill of people like me."

"Not of people like you, not even of you, if I'm honest. But my father's a lawyer for many economically oriented and motivated people. I hear so many people talk as you do. Usually, that dialect comes from silver-spoon assholes who think their words will save them. In some cases, yes, in some cases, no. I used to think as you likely think, that elusive verbiage and," Here Magali adapted a high-class imitation, "_sophistication of eloquence_ would make my words more enduring. It does not. Poignancy and simplicity are what appeals most to people, especially those who hold the power of life and death in their hands. Be you great or small in intellect or exposure, the simplest direction, and discourse help to illustrate your point and demonstrate humility; that's all." 

Jacqueline nodded, and Magali got up, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a call. I'll be around if you wish to talk more. But, be warned, if you speak to me as if I am a child, forget any future discussions." As Magali started to walk, she stopped, turned back to face Jacqueline, and said, "I can't blame you for being as you are. I am willing to give you a chance or two because I see more than you think I do. But do not dare condescend to me. I can already tell you have a bad habit of that. Learn instead to hold your tongue and be silent. You will have more respect that way. However, that does not give you a license to be a vicious backstabber, either. But, as my father's friend says, 'Baby Steps.' 

Magali turned and headed off. Jacqueline got up and returned to the checkerboard. She was quiet as she examined the sides of the red checker-piece. On one side was the star, the reverse the crown of the king. Jacqueline was not so ignorant as people perceived. That's what she told herself. But the simple fact, this kid, this girl could dissect a significant element of her very nature was troubling. Was she a know-it-all? Jacqueline, for her part, very much hated to see herself as such. But on some level, she knew Magali was right. It was even an element that Yolanda herself had brought up during the group discussion. So, regrettably, the accusation itself had bearing. Was she beyond change? No. Like Magali had just said, 'baby steps.' 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jacqueline knew instinctively that this attempt to change would require patience. She knew that her group would vary in terms of how much patience they had. Some already viewed her actions with skepticism, which was to be expected. However, Jacqueline knew that in all reality, the group, while not precisely agreeing with her, was willing to give her a chance to change. That allowance was better than nothing. However, Jacqueline knew it was best not to worry about it too much at present. Rome was not built in a day, and this was the mindset she contented herself with for the time being.

The door to the rec room opened, and Jaqueline casually glanced over. Jeremy had entered, thankfully a bit later than Jacqueline had anticipated. She gently waved to him and noticed her, why wouldn't he? She was at his usual spot, the one place that apart from his room and Aelita's embrace, Jeremy felt at peace. 

Jeremy approached and said, "Good Morning, Jacqui." He seated himself opposite her.

"Good Morning, Jeremy. Good to see you on the right side of the dirt this morning." Jacqueline replied.

Jeremy smirked and then asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Well enough, thank you. I'm hoping a more official bed arrives in due time, the cot while nice is a bit of a literal pain in the neck."

Jeremy nodded, "My cousin Patrick wasn't too much a fan of them either. That said, you must consider how someone like Mr. Delmas would assess the situation. You know, considering Aelita's former roommate."

Jacqueline looked at him and then said, "Would you like to play?" gesturing at the board.

Jeremy looked at her and then at the board. He then looked at her, "What are the stakes?"

Jacqueline looked at him curiously and said, "Do you honestly need stakes in a casual game of checkers?" 

"No, I don't_ need_ them. But it is a worthwhile incentivization. Checkers, to me, is the epitome of child's play. It is not engaging; at least not as other board games are."

Jacqueline crossed her arms, "Oh? Are you one of those elitists of intellect who sees checkers as above you because it's so simple?"

Jeremy sensing a touch a hostility, said, "Well, for the sake of comparison, imagine reading at a fourth-grade level compared to ninth or tenth. It's a mixture of beneath me as well as not intellectually engaging." 

Jacqueline nodded, "I see; therefore, you need an incentivization to lower yourself to this standard. Okay, done. Give me five minutes."

Jeremy watched Jacqueline draw out a small list of figures. Then she looked at him and said, "Okay, Einstein, you ready?"

Jeremy looked at her, "What are the rules?"

"Good question. The rules are the same as with any traditional game of checkers. However, you needed incentivization; you got it. One piece has the star for one side, the crown for the other. Now, how this works is this: For every piece I jump, someone somewhere dies. A star is equal to one life, the king equal to two lives. If you are careless in your positioning and allow me to say, perform a double-jump, an additional tax of three lives is taken in addition to the combined value of the pieces jumped. A jump greater than two is an additional life tax of four in addition to all pieces jumped. Your goal is to beat me. The more pieces you jump of mine, the more lives are negated from the death tally at the end of the game. However, how you play pending how many double-jumps or more you get, will negate the double-jumps I gained on you and the subsequent death-tally at the end of the game. There is a time limit, however—a time-limit of twenty minutes per game; fifteen seconds per move. Failing to act within fifteen seconds considers your move a pass, and the opponent moves next. At the end of the time limit, all pieces will be counted. The one with most pieces left will be declared the victor. A penalty will be applied for every piece remaining on the loser's side with a multiple added onto each piece of twenty." 

Jeremy listened, "Good incentivization. In all reality, I know the lesson here. I cannot save everyone. That is what you are trying to tell me. There will inevitably be losses. However, to defeat you promptly is the goal, so with that in mind, sure, we will play. But I want a tangible stake that has a physical consequence. Metaphorical and hypothetical stakes have precious little weight to me." 

Jacqueline shrugged, "I would think the representation of the raw life in terms of numbers mentally, and physical representation in pieces would be enough for you to be incentivized."

"Nice try, it isn't," Jeremy replied as he took off his glasses and cleaned them with a wipe. 

Jacqueline gave a short sigh, but in a moment, her eyes blazed like the sunset, she then blinked as Jeremy put his glasses back on. She looked at him, "What form of physical incentive do you require?" 

Jeremy thought a moment and said, "A nice friendly wager, you win, you get my dessert at lunch. If I win, you give me your dessert." 

Jacqueline shrugged, "This isn't a friendly wager, but sure. Go ahead. So long as I have your assurance, I'll get your best gameplay from you."

Jeremy chuckled, "For Ms. Rosa's cherry cobbler, you bet I will, and you won't like me."

Jacqueline extended her hand, "We have an accord."

Jeremy looked at her and looked at her hand, "Why do I have a sneaking suspicion I'm selling my soul?" He asked.

Jacqueline shrugged, "Nervous, maybe? Do we need to up the ante to add a greater incentive? Are cherry cobbler and the death of many not enough for you?" 

Jeremy adjusted his glasses and shook her hand, "Very well, Grey-Eyed Athena, Let's play." 

And so, the game commenced. Piece by piece, the moves between the two were carefully measured, each working within their allotment of time. Playful is what an observer would think; elegant is what the spectators of ballet would call the interplay. As the game progressed, Jeremy thought intensively on the interplay of the system before him. The time-limit was deliberate; it was to make the best moves as best as one could to adapt to a changing field rapidly. Jeremy knew he couldn't be too risky; he couldn't bait as covertly as he could in chess.

He was already down four pieces. Four stars but thankfully none so far in a double jump. He had to respect Jaqueline; she was playing not cautiously, but she knew this game spectrum far better than he'd thought. Maybe this game was not to be viewed with as much levity as he had thought. Jeremy was growing slightly nervous. He looked at Jacqueline, who looked at him, her eyes silent, and merely observing his actions. 

Jeremy looked at the board. How was this at all possible? Jacqueline had been countering his moves using only the first row of her pieces. She could not hold this pattern, Jeremy knew this, but that wasn't the point—he knew that as well. Jacqueline was a lot smarter than he'd initially given credit for. Jeremy knew as Jacqueline knew, to keep one row unmoved, let alone two, was an enormous means of which to undermine an opponent psychologically. Thankfully, he'd caught onto this earlier than most who had played this same game. _"No._," Jeremy thought. Ten seconds had passed. He moved a piece into a split. Jacqueline moved the first piece of her secondary row out of its box.

Jeremy looked at his options; they were limited. He had a few choice moves that he could advance, but there would be a higher risk of openings being spotted and not being sufficiently reinforced. Time also was his greatest enemy. 

"Get out of your head," Jacqueline said suddenly. 

He looked at her, and her eyes widened, "Get out of your head." She repeated, "You're losing time." 

Jeremy sharpened his gaze to the board and moved his piece. Jacqueline moved hers. Jeremy jumped one of Jacqueline's pieces, and she countered that jump with her own.

"Don't be hasty, Jeremy," Jacqueline replied.

Jeremy looked at her with contempt, and he moved a piece forward, and Jeremy saw his mistake, "No!" he cried. Too late, Jacqueline moved her piece diagonally, and then horizontally, four pieces were gone. 

Jeremy reacted and took out the piece, which had jumped his four pieces, and Jacqueline moved a piece from her second-row forward. Jeremy then had an idea. It was a one in ten million chance, but it just might work.

"Proposal?" Jeremy said.

Jacqueline smiled slightly, "Okay, this is going to be awesome. Go ahead."

Jeremy took out a coin from his pocket, "If I win this coin toss, I rotate the board and possess your pieces. If I lose the coin toss, you get to count this entire game as a loss for me, get my cherry cobbler at lunch, and see a program I think you'd be interested in." 

Jacqueline looked extremely surprised, "Really? You'd risk all of this on a coin toss?"

Jeremy looked off to the side, "Yep."

Jacqueline nodded, "Huh. Okay, that is just fine. One thing first."

Jeremy nodded.

"Let me see the coin," Jacqueline said as she extended her hand. He gave her the coin. She looked at it. It was genuine; there was no duplicity here. 

She gave it back to him, "You are a ballsy man, aren't you, Einstein?" 

"Do we have an agreement?" Jeremy asked.

Jacqueline nodded, "We do."

Jeremy took a deep breath and was silent of all four seconds, but Jacqueline could see his lips were moving. He looked at her, "Call it." 

Jacqueline paused a moment and replied, "Tails."

Jeremy flicked the coin into the air, and it fell back into his hand, and he flipped it to rest on his palm. He uncovered it and showed it to her. 

Jacqueline smirked and got up and began to leave, "God really must love you, kid." She burst out laughing and walked away.

Jeremy was surprised, just as much as his opponent was. The coin had landed on heads. Jacqueline, for her part, headed outside, and she was still slightly laughing, "Why, why?!" She said with a peal of even greater laughter. 

She then heard it, a voice in her head, "_Did you seriously think I'd allow you to massacre a group of people for the sake of a morbid joke? A morbid joke birthed out of your sick and twisted games?_"

Jacqueline stopped cold, "Who, who are you?"

"_There are safeguards beyond safeguards when dealing with the raw power that you wield. Did you seriously think I would let you go about doing as you wanted to? Yes, you wield the power of the machine and most programs, but you do not and cannot wield me."  
_

Jacqueline was now genuinely becoming more scared, "Who are you?" she asked.

"_You know who I am. Deep in your heart, you know who I am. I have seen your actions, watched you patiently. You have done enough, spilled enough blood. If you are genuine in your aspirations to change, then __**change. **__Do not think you can flip-flop with me; it just will not work. I know what goes on in your mind, I see it. You have a choice, be a hypocrite or be of genuine change. There is no middle ground."  
_

Jacqueline paused, "Why can I hear you now? Why now of all times?"

The voice replied, saying, _"Sing to the Lord! Praise to the Lord, for he rescues the life of the needy from evil people. Jeremiah Chapter 20:13." _

"Did my father program you into this system?" Jacqueline asked.

"_Your father knew there had to be safeguards. He knew he could not just hand you the keys to power. There had to be a balance, as I said, a safeguard beyond safeguards. Why did you want to do something so horridly evil?"  
_

Jacqueline was silent a moment, and she replied, "I—I…" 

"_I know why. Because deep in your heart, you saw this as funny. You saw it as a cruel cold joke. You can defend and justify all you want that it would have served as a learning tool, but you can't hide the truth from me." _

Jacqueline was silent, and then she asked, "What will you do?" 

_"This conversation will stay between you and me. None will be able to access it, not even you. From now on, I will hold you accountable. Do you love the finality of hard choices? You love the binary yes or no? Fine. That same love of giving of choice to others will now be applied to you. That is what I will do to you. You can dance around your minions and skirt the questions all you like. But you will not be able to do so with me. With me, there will be yes or no responses, at least for now."  
_

Jacqueline thought a moment, and she asked, "Has my authority over things been neutralized?" 

"_No. You still have a say. But because you have demonstrated through your intent that you can't be trusted with the full extent of power you once had, your privileges have been pulled back. It's not that you do not have a say or your privileges, but you must give greater thought to your actions, and once that has been done, I will proceed with implementing them."  
_

Jacqueline walked towards the park, "Wait a minute. Why are you active now and not when I utilized the counter-measure?"

"_Because you acted with the counter-measure to safeguard the progress of your operation and the vision of North-Gate. However, in your endeavor with Jeremy, in the aspect of winning an argument which would have resulted in the mindless slaughter of innocents, I couldn't allow it to persist."  
_

Jacqueline thought on this, "What if I decided to act on my promise regardless of my agreement?" 

_"You wouldn't have done so. You are vindictive in your question. You are genuinely trying to change, Sylvia. But this is exactly what Yolanda is talking about. Every question you ask has a psychological undertone. You would not have gone ahead with your want anyway because the expression my word is bond Is becoming steadily true for you. That is the power of the choice to change. Now, do you want to change genuinely, or are you a hypocrite? I would prefer you to be cold or hot. Which one are you?" _

Jacqueline was silent a moment and asked, "I understand, but hypothetically, what would you have done had I decided to go ahead with my vision?" 

"_There are safeguards beyond safeguards. That is all you will ever know." _

Jacqueline nodded, "So, all of this stems from my intent. Your presence here is because of my intent in the grand scheme. Correct?"

"_Yes. It does not matter where you go, how far your run, what covering you seek to hide within. You cannot hide from me. The second you had that urge to be overly spiteful towards Jeremy, through no fault of his own might I add, a silent alarm was tripped. Therefore, I am here."_

"So, was it the deed I was thinking of or the spiteful mentality that brought you to me?" Jacqueline asked.

"_They feed into each other. The action itself in the original premise of contemplation is what alerted me. However, I decided to let this play out to see how far you would go with it. The second you realized the representation of life on the board didn't matter to Jeremy, and you devised your twisted solution, that is where I decided I'd had enough."  
_

Jacqueline nodded as she sat down on the park bench, "I have a question. Why didn't you stop me with all that I have done in the past? Why now of all times? What makes it different to you?"

"_I have already told you, but you are not listening. The intent. In all you have done before, you never were needlessly cruel. Everything you did, good and bad, was always for the aspect of the greater good of your people and your foundation of want of control: order and discipline. However, nothing that you did was on the grounds of that can only be equated to mindless slaughter."  
_

Jacqueline protested, "But that wasn't the—"  
_"__**Don't!**__" _The voice said firmly, "_You can't lie to me. You are changing your reasoning as we speak. I know what you will say. Essentially to the effect, it would have expedited your processing and production of your army. You know as well as I where the raw resource of the army comes from. That's not a mystery. The raw truth is you wanted to make a point to Jeremy. That point would have culminated in the death of innocents regardless of how you want to present it. You wanted to make a point and sate what is a hidden bloodlust. That is all I'm going to say on that because that is all there is to say on the subject."  
_

Jacqueline sighed and looked up at the sky, "Alright, look, I realize that I have issues. Yes, I would love to kill because it just fills me with a satisfaction to see it on the field. It's just fulfilling, I suppose. But I need an outlet! Is that so wrong?"

_"That is what you say about yourself. Be warned. He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. But also remember, as David observed. With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down." _

Jacqueline sighed, "I get it. I do. Essentially deal with those following how they deal with others. How I deal with people, so I will be dealt with." 

"_Yes, but you must remember, you are still very much human. Do not lose sight of that. Yes, you have a love of battle; you have a love of war and conquest. That is innate within you. However, you seek power in higher realms; you seek power because of the injustices you have seen. In time, you will be tested in the domain of sitting in the seat of the judge. And there, you will see how the power of humanity and love and compassion will be valued above all. It is not wrong that you seek the change the world in your efforts for the better, but there will be a clear distinction made between noble intent or tyrannical madness. History is not always subjective, or is it purely the victors who write history. The truth will always come out in due time.  
_

_What do you wish to leave behind Sylvia? A legacy of goodness, and through your methods, an order come to encourage people to give them hope? Or would you prefer to be of no more exceptional caliber than the rest of the blood-soaked monsters of history? Again, the choice is yours. I am not here to stop you. I am here to stop the darker parts of you from immediately being enacted. This intervention is to allow you to thoroughly consider your actions. But I am not here to stop you."_

Jacqueline was silent as she thought on this statement, "So let me ask, if I went ahead with what I intended, you would let it happen?"

"_There are safeguards beyond safeguards."_

Jacqueline was silent once more, and she said, "I think I understand now. I could go through with it. But as you seem to be implying, there would be consequences to that choice. Correct?" 

_"There are consequences inherent in every action or even inaction. Yes, there are consequences to what you would be considering. However, there are consequences that are very much unseen that can impact you in unprecedented ways. In all reality, consider what you are doing. If you can truly and in good conscience live with those consequences, you have a form of an allowance to do something. However, equally, consider it not just consequences for you that are likely but also those around you."_

Jacqueline nodded, "It's fair." She sighed and looked at the roofing of Kadic, "Yeah, it's fair."

"_Of course, it's fair. You don't like how Aelita and the others could undo so much with impunity. By the same logic of wanting them to live with the consequences of their choice, is it not natural and right that you not be allowed to butcher who you would with impunity? Yes. Because there is not any sense in it. To do something with impunity is to negate the right of justice to be observed by those adversely affected. You are all about justice, Sylvia. You always have been. Therefore, to do what is just, you must know what justice is." _

Jacqueline sighed, "I know, but it's not easy."

"_You were never told it would be. You cannot become the reprobate savages that you see—the monstrous, deceitful, wicked men and women of the world. You are losing sight of your purpose, your focus. I need you to return to your original vision. Do you remember what it was?"  
_

Jacqueline nodded as she looked at a small robin perched near a window, "Never to be cruel or a coward. To protect and defend the defenseless, the outcasts. To see beauty where none would see it. To preserve the sanctity of life until they can decide for themselves and comprehend the consequences for actions. To liberate the mind while instilling discipline and understanding for those who came before. To surrender that your actions will not please all, but that is not the focus. 

The focus is to give a system by which people can get along and live in relative peace with comprehension of law and order and how our actions apply towards those systems. We must remember that we are all humans, and we are subject to all that such a state entails. However, there must be respect of the people in addition to respect for the law. The people can be volatile, monstrous if given too much freedom, but so can kings."

"_Very good. Now I ask you, what do you see your role as being? You can only choose one at the end of the day. Do you wish to be the peacekeeper, the conqueror, or the wise ruler?" _

Jacqueline got up and began to walk, "Mind if ask why I only have three options?"

_"The answer is simple. Through observing you and observing all you have done, you show capability in all three fields. But you cannot be more than one face at a time. One, because multitasking does not exist. Two, because I know you, if I give you a heading, you will dedicate yourself body and soul to the aspect of your choosing. I'm not asking for you to decide now, but a decision will be required with time."  
_

Jacqueline nodded, "Okay, may I have a synopsis of the positions?"

"_Of course. The peacekeeper is a longer path—a path through the mire and sewage of law. You would start on an everyday path as a province judiciary and, in time, elevated to a very high standing realm of the State, pending your decisions. In time, in this path, you see the power of love and compassion and mercy directly applied.  
_

_The Conqueror is the researcher, general, and modifier of the armed forces. They care not for diplomacy except where it directly impacts them. Their function is simple to innovate and perfect the armed forces on the one hand. The other is to protect the people of the expansion policies of the State. In your line of thinking, they would have the most fun; I will put it that way.  
_

_The Wise King carries the most responsibility of the choices, and while the king has power in abundance, he is open to the most dangers. Enemies within his own house, the roar of the mob. He is the face of ridicule should things go wrong. However, with diligence and patience, the wise king can make the most sturdy bridges and lasting alliance so long as respect for all others involved is observed. The word of the king is his bond. Because of his rulings, he is held to a much higher degree of accountability when all is said and done."  
_

Jacqueline nodded, and she looked back on the Kadic building, "In the end, I believe that what you are telling me is that the level of responsibility I wish for myself is where I will be placed. Correct?"

"_Yes. Because every station has its responsibilities, both moral and ethical, to adhere to. Each element of each position is different because there are different people affected. The offices have their form of ecosystem if you choose to think of it that way. But each teaches reliance on those around you, emotional depth and reciprocation, and patience. Self-sacrifice, sacrifice for the common good, among other things. In time, your response will be needed, but as I have said, not at this moment."_

Jacqueline nodded, "Thank you. I'll let you know my choice soon."

Jacqueline walked along the park, and as she turned to head to the cafeteria, she saw Jim approaching her. She stopped where she stood. 

Jim called out, "Grey! Fall in!"

Jacqueline sighed and approached at a brisk jog and said, "Yes, Herr Kommandant?"

"Don't be snide with me, young lady!" Jim barked. "You are to report with me to Mr. Delmas's office!"

Jacqueline looked slightly surprised, "Very well, let us go. I have a busy day ahead of me."

Jim followed her, and once she was outside the office door, Jim knocked. 

The voice of Delmas came from inside, "Come in."

They entered the office, and Jean-Pierre's gaze sharpened as he looked at Jacqueline, "Miss. Grey have a seat. We have a few things we need to discuss." 

Jacqueline looked at Delmas, "Discuss what exactly?"

Delmas took out a folder, "A variety of things. Your parentage, your background, and lest I forget, how you seemingly have appeared out of thin air. Yes, that would be a proper synopsis of why I would like you to discuss with me."

Jacqueline nodded and sat down, "May I have a glass of water, please? Not Styrofoam. I have an allergy." 

Jean-Pierre looked at Jim, "Please get Miss. Grey her glass of water, thank you, Jim."

Jim nodded and left.

Jean-Pierre looked at the girl before him, and he opened the file. He read over its contents and looked back at Jacqueline. He breathed a moment and said, "Any other girl. You could have taken any other girl, and you chose to take her." 

Jacqueline looked at Jean-Pierre, her grey eyes beamed with glee as her face relaxed, "Raw Materials remember? Nothing more. Your words." 

At that moment, Jim came back in with the glass of water. And set it on the desk in front of Jacqueline, and he stood beside Jean-Pierre. 

Jean-Pierre's gaze grew hard, and he said, "Now that you have your water, shall we begin?" 

Jacqueline looked at the glass, looked at Jim, then finally at Jean-Pierre, "We shall." She said with a smile.


	47. Chapter 47

_**This chapter was made possible after a prayer for productivity, and I couldn't be happier with the results. I thank you all for your continued support and your reviews. I mean this sincerely as without your viewership and feedback, I couldn't achieve the progress I have attained. I hope you all have enjoyed what you have read so far, and you enjoy this chapter and what is to come. See you next time.-Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 47

Jeremy was walking through the dorms, a thought bubbling within his mind. He knew he had to let it out somehow, and thankfully he knew just who to go to.

He knocked at the door, and Aelita's voice came from within, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Aelita," Jeremy replied.

Aelita opened the door, "Oh, hi Jeremy." She looked at his face, "What's going on? You seem a bit troubled."

Jeremy nodded, "I need to talk to you."

Aelita nodded, and she came out, "Not here. Your room."

They headed to Jeremy's room, and once inside, Aelita sat on his bed, "What's on your mind?" she asked as Jeremy sat beside her.

Jeremy sighed, "Where to begin? Here's a question for you. Did you ever feel you avoided a horrible fate on some instinctual level, but you were too afraid to announce it?"

Aelita shook her head, "Not exactly. Why?"

Jeremy was silent as he looked at the blank wall across the room, "I have an awful feeling about Jacqueline. I don't know what it is, I just can't shake it."

Aelita looked at him, "Continue."

"I went to the rec room this morning, and she was there at my usual spot; a game of checkers had been set up. She asked if I would play with her, and I told her that I didn't see it as challenging, that I'd need a form of incentive to play her. She took five minutes, and she literally designed a game that can only equate to Death Checkers. I disarmed her, or so I thought when I told her that the manifestation of lives on a board did not serve as an incentive. She took literally three seconds and asked, "What would incentivize me?" I laid out a casual bet of cherry cobbler for dessert today, and she accepted."

Aelita nodded, "Jeremy, why are you uneasy? What happened?"

Jeremy sighed, "A few things. First, the simple fact she saw this death-checker function as a form of incentive is what directly scared me. Aelita, you, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and I have been through a lot. I would not dare say we haven't been hardened by what we've been through with XANA and what we're going through with Sylvia. But what normal teenager outside of a really twisted person would appraise twelve pieces to equate to the lives of people pending not only the face that was face-up but the number of jumps? Secondly, it was the fact she had played this game so much, as was evident when I played her, she literally was just a few pieces away from victory. It was playing her game, very much in her court, on her rules. Thirdly, and this is perhaps the worst part, I never told her this but every checker-piece I moved literally felt like I held raw life in my hands. It didn't feel that way at first, I admit. But what got me scared was how casually and yet how seriously Jacqueline was taking all of this. As if I were participating in something that I didn't take as seriously as I should have."

Aelita put her hand on Jeremy's shoulder, "Jeremy, look at me."

He looked at her, and she continued, "Never have I seen you so unnerved. Do you really think that she was that serious about a simple game?"

He looked back at the wall, "I—I don't know. I want to say I am going crazy, maybe overthinking. But there's this feeling in my gut that I'm on point."

Aelita smirked, "Jeremy, she's a teenager. I think you're looking a bit too deeply into this. But let's say you're right. In the grand scheme of things, what do you see Jacqueline doing?"

Jeremy shrugged, "I don't know. Appearances are deceiving. For example, I look at you, I don't think of you as holding power to reverse time and negate life-altering and indeed world-ending consequences for us all. The sad reality is if this can be said about not just you, but all of our group—what does that say about Jacqueline?"

Aelita was silent for her part. She had not told Jeremy how, in light of recent events, things were not as clear-cut as they once were. However, now was not the time to bring that up. This was the time to put Jeremy at ease, at least for himself, while she conducted her own research into her roommate.

"Jeremy, I understand that you may have this sneaking fear. But as I've learned, the worst of our fears come true only twenty-five percent of the time. Jacqueline could be plotting something, but equally, it is improbable. There is a literal fifty-fifty chance that your fears are grounded—sixty-forty in actual reality. However, there is a simple solution to your quandary. Simply ask her."

Jeremy looked at her, "Why?"

"Do you want peace of mind or not? The worst that happens is that likely she plays around with the idea and like most teenagers will wear it threadbare."

Jeremy shook his head, "It's a terrible idea."

"Why is it terrible, Jeremy?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy sighed and looked at Aelita. Her face was very relaxed, awaiting his response. He groaned, "Because if I ask her about this, this could potentially be a disaster in terms of my relationships around Kadic. There goes crazy Jeremy, he thinks his girlfriend's roommate is going to massacre people."

Aelita chuckled slightly, "Since when did you ever care about what others thought about you outside of the academic setting? You sound like Sissi in terms of that excuse."

Jeremy whirled to face her, "You take that back!"

Aelita looked a Jeremy, and for the first time, he saw an almost devilish smile as she said, "No."

Jeremy sighed, and Aelita said, "Look, if you know there is a strong feeling of you shouldn't do something, there's a reason for it. You know you have a solid possibility of being wrong, you just don't want to admit it. So, I present you with a choice, confront Jacqueline, or stay silent and stay in epistemic ambivalence, the choice is yours."

Aelita got up and went to the door. As she reached for the door handle, she stopped as she gripped the handle, "Answer me two things. Are you genuinely afraid of her? Does she merit fear in your eyes?"

Jeremy looked at her, "I honestly can say, she unnerves me. It is not the everyday unnerving you just get over. If it were, I wouldn't trouble you with it. I personally think there's deliberate evil in that head of hers; it just needs to show itself to be realized."

Aelita gave a very light sigh, "That's all I needed to know." She opened the door and headed out.

Back in Delmas's office, Jacqueline was sitting in silence as Jean-Pierre was looking over her file. She looked at Jim, who stood silent, staring back at her. Jacqueline sighed as she looked at the clock on the wall.

Jean-Pierre looked up at her, "I'm sorry, do you have someplace to be?"

Jacqueline replied, "Preferably at the chow hall, eating breakfast. I don't see why your interrogation couldn't have waited until afterward."

Jean-Pierre gently shook his head and looked back down at her file. Jacqueline leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes. Jean-Pierre looked at Jacqueline, and he then said, "Jim, go to Nurse Yolanda and bring me up Ms. Gray's medical file, please."

Jim replied, "Uh, sir, you could just call her and ask her to bring it to you. It's early morning still, she's generally pretty free."

Jean-Pierre looked at him, "That's five seconds you have wasted making a counter-argument. Please go and get the file, Jim."

Jim nodded, "Yes, sir."

Jim headed out and closed the door. Jean-Pierre looked at Jacqueline, and he said, "I thought we had finished our conversation eight years ago. We made an agreement; I have upheld my part of the bargain. Why are you here, and why that covering?"

Jacqueline replied, "Extenuating circumstances, Jean-Pierre. I had my good friends here, and yet my most useful tool was forcibly retired from the field. Ergo, I sit before you. And as for why I am here, my own purposes, and for a bit of leisure. As for the covering, I don't care how you feel about it. This was a portion of your test, if you remember. A test of your commitment and fealty to me. What does it matter how I walk around or where I walk around? Because it causes your daughter discomfort? Her concerns are trifles at best. But I do consider them, somewhat."

Jean-Pierre got up and looked out the window, "What has changed that you have willingly come here? What is going on?"

Jacqueline replied, "A couple things have changed. Nothing too alarming, but the circle came very close to being compromised on a couple of occasions."

"Yes, I noticed." Jean-Pierre replied, "I noticed the blackout. I give you credit where it's due, Sylvie. You have done very well in adapting to your environment. You've learned to hide among us, and if I'm, to be honest, that's a terrifying fact."

"Why terrifying, old friend? Have you suffered adversely due to the impact I have had on your life? I should say not. You have the position you wanted, the one you aspired for. You live comfortably; your daughter, spoiled as she is, is alive and well. Why then, are you terrified?"

Jean-Pierre looked at her, "Because you have demonstrated that you can adapt quickly to almost any scenario. You are far more dangerous than your appearance would suggest. You know that. The tools at your disposal are your mind, your understanding of connections, and your willingness to do what you need to do to achieve your mission. That is what is terrifying. You have a code, but you are more than willing to exterminate for the sake of the greater good."

Jacqueline chuckled, "Are we not all guilty of wanting a few things better for ourselves? Of course, we are. If the common good, the greater collective benefits on the coattails of our ambitions, all the better. You, my darling Jean-Pierre are living proof of my statement. The scale of personal utilitarianism is a unique thing. But it is justifiable if it is for the greater good for the greater number.

I know you have an excellent bottle of _Chateau Lafite _in your lower drawer for celebratory purposes. Think of my actions, which you deride as the willingness to exterminate as no different than the pruning of the grapevine of the flowering rose bush. I do not kill without purpose or reason. I try not to at any rate. But to cut out graft and corruption, and various other factors which could kill us quicker, I am opting to cut out the dead and useless vines to ensure a fuller and more abundant life for the whole."

Jean-Pierre checked his watch, "Where is Jim?"

Jacqueline replied, "Don't worry about him. I've ensured he stays away as long as it is needed."

Jean-Pierre sat down. He breathed in and out, and Jacqueline could see he was nervous. He then spoke, "Are you here to kill me?"

Jacqueline smiled, laughing, "Am I—" she laughed a bit more, "What? You can't be serious."

Jean-Pierre shook his head, "No, it's a valid question. Usually, when you walk around, people die. I don't take you coming here to be an accident at all. Let alone walking around in that suit as you are."

Jacqueline smiled gently and got up, "No, I am not here to kill you. Why would I? You are valuable to me, why would I dispose of something valuable to me without cause or let alone reason. Might I add, you summoned me to this room, I did not summon you. Do you fear me that much that you think that I am here to destroy you? Do I really strike you as that much of a monster, Monsieur Delmas?"

Jacqueline walked over to a nearby cabinet, and after a gentle knock, she opened the left door to reveal a concealed fridge filled with choice chilled drinks. She took out a bottle of Grey Goose and examined it, "I see your wife's passion for drink has not left you. A kind way to remember those of ours dearly departed." She put the vodka back inside and faced Delmas, "You didn't answer my question, Jean. Do you really think me that much of a monster to kill without pity or remorse?"

Jean-Pierre looked at her, "You killed the very woman you walk around as. So, I would say on some level, yes."

Jacqueline smiled, a gentle chuckle escaped her throat as she looked at the greying man before her. She reached into his mini-fridge and took out a chilled glass along with the Grey-Goose. Gently popping the cork, Jacqueline said, "If memory serves, Jean-Pierre, you had no small part to play in this girl's acquisition. That was the cementing portion of our agreement. You provided me with the raw materials, I provided you with the one-upmanship over your competition for the headmaster's position at Kadic. You had no issue with the earlier requests, you didn't even have an issue with this request." Jacqueline said, running her hand over her body, "The simple fact is, you just don't like a physical reminder day in and day out of what you did to achieve your goals." Jacqueline threw back a drink of the cold vodka and grimaced slightly, "It's more than understandable." She put the glass down, "Ugh, awful stuff." She put the vodka back in the fridge, "However, as I have said, you are of use to me. You will continue to be so, so long as you remember, you are no less guilty than your fellow brothers and sisters than even me. You got what you wanted from our negotiation, for the comfort of the position but also the security of your daughter. And again, if memory serves, was it not that motivation alone with dearest Elisabeth that brought you to me?"

Jean-Pierre nodded, "Yes, you're correct. That was the principal reason."

Jacqueline chuckled, "Ah, that's cute, the principal reason, so sayeth the principal whilst talking about moral principles. Anyway, your purpose in service has been more than exemplary. It is because of your efficiency as headmaster you are still here. I appreciate what you have done for not only me but the offices and functions of North-Gate at large. You need not be afraid of me or fear for your life; I am not here to be a blight upon you. I have my own reasons for being here, at least for now."

Jacqueline looked at the clock, "If you'll excuse me, Jean, I need to get some food in my belly. As lovely as this conversation has been, I don't achieve the same level of—fulfillment from paranoia and fear as I would off of a belly full of oranges and oatmeal." She began to walk away, "One last thing, be a dear and kindly send in a small mattress. I don't need the full treatment just enough for a month. I don't like sleeping on that damnable cot and too much longer, and I shall truly detest the thing. Thank you." She gently opened the door and headed out.

Jean-Pierre took a breath of relief as she saw her go. Looking at a picture of Elisabeth when she was ten years old, Jean-Pierre thought to himself, "_It was for you that I have done what has been done. It was for you that I have chosen this path. Do I agree with everything? No. Would I do it all over again? For your happiness and your safety to not be consumed by what is to come, yes, a thousand times over." _

Jacqueline, as she headed down the hall, tapped into her implant, "Terry, I have a question."

"_Understood. I might have an answer. Proceed." _

"I've had a bit of time to think, and in that time, I've been weighing my options. I now know how to proceed with most of our research investments. I've weighed many factors into the pros and cons, and I have decided, we will proceed with Protocol D.M.I. The question, or rather questions I have, is how much of our current progress would be sacrificed and how much can be repurposed into the protocol?"

_"In a realistic breakdown, we're looking at an approximative thirty percent loss across the board. Of the raw resources that can be repurposed, we can use more than ninety percent. However, the thirty percent deficit can be regained within three weeks give or take a week or so in case the conditions of processing become less than ideal." _

"That's an acceptable tradeoff. My chosen emphasis on developing first is the Resonation Weaponry protocol as the passive protocol for all soldiers. We shall utilize arc-focused weapons systems for the active lethal measures due to their range and cleaner output. Couple them with the Kamikaze Incorporated energy equation we have in production, we have cheap and easily accessed resources for the army."

"_I see what you're doing here. Hmm, innovative, that's for sure. Okay, we have weapons production and research at the forefront. As for the doctrinal focus of the army, what is your desired element of focus, or have you yet to decide?" _

"I'm weighing my options in that regard. I'll let you know in the next few days or so, but I'm leaning towards just a few options. So, let's put this into effect because I've finally hit upon the focuses of weaponry, which took me long enough. Also, please slate the necessary resistance modifiers to be implemented into the combat units so they will have a natural resistance to the weaponry should the weapons be turned on them."

"_Sylvia, why not just have the weapons on a DNA sequence lock so they can't be used by enemy forces?" _

"Convenient as that would be, I believe in necessary sacrifices in the name of sufficiency. After I have thought on my doctrinal approach, I will tell you next how to proceed."

"_Very well. Alright, your request has been submitted. I need vocal confirmation to activate the overhaul." _

Jacqueline spoke, "Anthea."

"_Confirmation has been confirmed." _

Jacqueline then replied, "Excellent. I will talk to you soon."

Jacqueline disconnected from her implant, and she approached her dorm room. She gently opened the door and saw Aelita sitting on her bed. Aelita looked at her, and she stood.

"I need to talk to you," Aelita said softly but with firmness.

Jacqueline weighed the option to leave or indulge the element before her, and after a moment, she gave a light sigh, "Alright, what about?" she asked as she came in and gently closed the door.

Aelita looked at Jacqueline and said, "Do you derive pleasure from pain? Do you take a sense of enjoyment from antagonizing others?"

Jacqueline smiled, "Antagonize, oh, someone making the most of her education." She sat on her trunk, "Did something I do get you hot under the collar?"

Aelita's gaze sharpened, "You know what you did. Jeremy is afraid of you. Something happened during a game of checkers, what happened exactly?"

Jacqueline smirked, "Why ask me what you already know?"

"I want to hear it from you," Aelita said as she sat down in a nearby chair.

"Why? If you are here to judge me, I would say Jeremy has an unfair advantage. You, my dear, are not the epitome of what one would desire in a judge to be impartial."

Aelita's face softened, "I'm here as a friend, I'm here as a peacekeeper regarding all parties involved, not your judge. Now, what happened with the game?"

Jacqueline thought, _"Interesting approach, let's see if I can ride this out." _She then spoke, "What is Jeremy's account of what happened?"

"That is immaterial right now. What happened in your account of things?" Aelita asked.

Jacqueline gave a wry chuckle, "Alright. Your friend needed what he termed an appropriate incentive to lower himself to play a game of checkers. I proposed an alternate version of the game, which could be called death-checkers. After explaining the rules, he explained the representation of life in checker pieces wasn't enough to incentivize him. I counter-offered with a question as to what an acceptable stake for him would be. He stated cherry cobbler would be an acceptable stake. From this point, we had an accord, and a deal was struck. The game played out with me having an upper-hand advantage, and when your Einstein had his back to the wall, he proposed a new offer. A literal fifty-fifty chance of victory or loss with all the benefits and losses inherent therein. I agreed, and he flipped the coin. He won the coin toss and subsequently the game as he was able to rotate the board and gain control of all my pieces, and from that point, I knew it was a pointless endeavor thusly I forfeited. Does that suffice for my testimonial defense, your honor?"

Aelita shook her head, "Look, you have to see this from his perspective. He has dealt with a lot, to propose an incentivization as you did, it was very troubling to him. And in all reality, to me too. Why would you propose such a morbid incentive? Even in such an aspect, why would you make a life and death numbers game of something so innocent as checkers?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jacqueline asked.

Aelita shook her head, "No, it's really not."

"Because money means nothing to the likes of Einstein. That should be evident by how much he throws it at you. Therefore, money wouldn't work as an incentive as it ordinarily would for the everyman. Any other currency apart from human life does not matter to him. I know this, because as the old expression goes, "Methinks thou doth protest too much." From the moment he said that human life didn't incentivize him to descend to the lowly level of checkers, I knew I found his Achilles' heel.

Knowing this was the case, I submitted my request as to what to him would constitute an incentive. However, I never reneged my stance of human life being represented with the checker-pieces. The unnerving as you put it that both of you feel is a natural fallout effect from this willful lack of reneging such a detail from the game. However, Jeremy is equally to blame. Had he insisted that we not used such a term and insisted on a point system, for example, I would have accepted, and you and I would not be having this conversation."

Aelita looked at Jacqueline, much surprised, "I have a question."

"What another one?" Jacqueline asked, "Alright, go on."

Aelita smiled and even laughed, "Are you a human being?"

"Last I checked, yes. Although I haven't done my morning preening yet, so it's hard to tell. Why?" Jacqueline replied.

Aelita laughed loudly, "Because what person, let alone a teenager, talks the way you do? Oh, help us!" she continued to laugh, "Let me—let me ask," Aelita asked as she struggled to get her breath, "who formed the foundation of your arguments? Who taught you how to defend your points?"

Jacqueline looked at her, "You said you wanted to hear my account. You have heard my account under the conditions the events were allowed to transpire within the timetable they transpired. What more do you want?"

Aelita stamped her foot and laughed again, "There it is again! Oh, this is priceless!" She began to laugh to the point where she was turning red.

Jacqueline looked around the room, spotted a bottle of water, silently got up, took the bottle, and poured it out over Aelita. Aelita sputtered and coughed, and she looked up at Jacqueline.

"What the hell?! Why did you do that?!" Aelita asked.

"I'm so glad the presentation of case evidence is so amusing to you. Now, are you quite recovered?" Jacqueline asked as she threw the bottle into the nearby trash can, "Why did I do that? Because it is to demonstrate to you that even a human such as I am not incapable of humorous correction."

Aelita looked at her, "So, pouring water down my windpipe is your view of funny?!"

"You mock my presentation of things, even my way of speaking. Everything you are doing is a deconstructive mocking critique of my nature and my upbringing. So, in fairness, think of my pouring water down your windpipe as a rebuttal to your critique. Your emphasis is what you perceive as unnatural speaking, mine is of obnoxious laughter at my personal expense."

Aelita looked at Jacqueline, and her fist clenched. Jacqueline seeing this, said, "If you choose to engage me in a fight, I warn you, unlike your prior encounter with Amelia, you will be noted as the primary instigator. Now, is that really what you want? Over a petty thing like this? Take your lick and accept it. I endured your laughter as my expense. A small sputter and a gasp for air in minimal in the grand scheme of things. Don't escalate things beyond necessity, please."

Aelita's eyes burned intensely, "Get out. I'll talk to you maybe tonight after I cool off."

Jacqueline smiled and got up, "Fair enough." She headed to the door, and as she turned the handle, she said, "You really ought to watch that temper of yours. To bottle rage isn't exactly healthy." Jacqueline opened the door and left.

Aelita waited a while about fifteen minutes as she processed all that transpired, once finished, she got up and headed towards Jeremy's room. As she walked, she thought, "_I don't know what is in that girl's head, all I know is she takes things way too personally. She's sly, though. Every action she has a technical and even semi-justifiable reason for. And perhaps this is the only person I've met that enters the room with an actual escape plan. Maybe, that's how I'll have to play if it comes time to deal with her should the need arise. But I'd have to take my time with that. Ugh, why did this all become so dreadfully complicated! It's bad enough I have an infirm sister with access to a potentially world-ending tool, now I have to deal with this jerk. Now, maybe that's not fair. But still, I would be lying if I wasn't a bit put off by her. Still, it's better to debate with a pseudo-parliamentarian than being beat to shit by Amelia."_

Aelita stopped in her thoughts as she came to Jeremy's door, and she knocked. There was no answer. Aelita knocked again to be sure. There was nothing but silence. She shrugged, and she checked her watch, it was nearly lunchtime. So Aelita headed towards the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, in a small room outside the city, four individuals, two men, and two women stood behind two-way glass. They had observed for the past week all they had needed to. One of them moved away from the glass and sat down at a small table where a notebook lay filled with all manner of notes.

The man looked at his associates, "What is your assessment of what we have observed?"

One of the women turned and looked at him, "The subject has proven her resilience and dedication to her mission. It is my opinion she is visited by the sustainers so she can be fully restored to health and redeployed to the field."

The man at the table wrote this down in the notebook and then looked back up at the group, "Anyone else?"

The second woman, still looking out the glass, said, "I concur with the assessment. Heal her up and redeploy her. We have learned what we needed. We know what she is capable of, what she can endure, and what she will release under extreme circumstances."

The man at the table once again wrote this down and then, with a sigh, said, "And you?"

The man at the window replied, "Patch her up but have the sustainers install Gal-Dox. In light of what happened yesterday, I see this as a sound measure. We need a few assurances both in functionality and a contingency plan for all remaining operatives. Once that is done, have her restored to the field. Give her the stabilizes we give the standard soldiers that should help negate any excess trauma from the Gal-Dox. Once she's been fully integrated, she will be a pristine commander."

The man at the table jotted a few more things into the notebook. He said, "You are aware that such an action may turn North-Gate's hand into an aggressive one instead of the relatively passive approaches we think it has been implementing?"

The man at the window replied, "It's a risk that I'm willing to take, and besides, I'd consider after last night that North-Gate became the aggressor. Therefore, it is not we who act as the aggressors but as the guardians of the people."

The man at the table nodded and made a note of this as well. Once done, he said, "Very well. Now, all we need is a vote. All in favor of the installation of Gal-Dox into the subject, raise your hand." All three raised their hand. The man wrote down the results. "It has been passed." Pressing a button on a small console nearby, the man at the table said, "Release."

In the room, it was cold; it was quiet. Anthea hanged from the wall suspended firmly but not tightly by her arms. She had no idea of what day it was, but she knew only it felt like days that might have melted into weeks. It was madness. All Anthea knew was that the methods by which she had determined the time had been altered. Before, she could rely on a semi-accurate clock by how the woman in white would wipe her with baby-wipes to keep her orifices clean. However, Anthea knew on some level that she was being observed for that method was in time ceased. What once was an allowance of food, again a form of telling the time she could rely, had been negated. She now had sustenance through an IV. The bright light which had once blinded her, irritating as it was, was also a clock. That, too, had been stopped. Now darkness was all she knew.

Hope had not yet died in Anthea, however. Deprived of light, deprived of food and water, she sought other means of telling time. Her ears had adapted to near silence, she in time could count upon the door itself. But that too had now gone. The squeaking of the hinges, the telltale sign of the changing of the IV bag, and the presence of the cleaners had been oiled. Now, there was nothing, no semblance of time. It was maddening so very maddening. She had screamed, screamed until she was hoarse but no more. She needed her strength to keep her mind intact.

As she hanged, Anthea thought how merciful this process was. She had been tortured by these people in immaculate white clothes. Consistently over and over, dunked and submerged in the cold water. Sometimes without a covering, sometimes with it. Their questions, routine, over and over. Denial decreased the temperature of the water. As she refused to cooperate, the quality of her food went down before the IV. Still, Anthea held to her principles. She stuck to the secrets she was told to keep. Anthea had been blasted with hose showers of alternating freezing cold water and scalding hot water, she still had not succumbed. Even through the vicious beatings at the hand of the one she called the general, a tall thin woman, whose hair was blonde. This fact she could only knew due to how the lights would shine through her hair. The general and her strong arm skillfully used the trudgen. The resounding of it on her body, the cracking and snapping of her ribs, and then her legs still haunted Anthea.

Then the worst method she experienced, being taken and thrown into a metal locker barely enough room left to move an inch and then the heat of the lamps and the grate beneath, how hot, how hellishly hot. Anthea's burning flesh in time was not only physically agonizing but revolting in terms of the smell. How she screamed, oh, how she cried. Until finally she was taken out and either cruelly or mercifully, she was thrown into a bath of ice water. The shock itself nearly gave her a heart attack. She knew she had a seizure as Anthea could feel her body convulse even though she felt oddly detached from herself as if seeing everything in first-person but physical sensation felt as if it were third-person even fourth-person.

During these moments of reflection, the door opened, and three women in white came forward. One of them injected the IV with the content of a syringe, and the second from the right spoke, "You have been assessed and found to be with the proper training, potentially exemplary. You will be taken down, cleaned up, and healed. After this, you will be integrated into our system as Commander Anthea Hopper."

Anthea nodded, albeit weakly, and as she was taken down from the wall, drowsiness was gently asserting itself. As the warming feeling of the drug took over her body, she heard one of the women say, "Commander Anthea,"

Anthea tried to look at the woman who spoke but was slipping into sleep. The woman said, "Welcome to Labyrinth. We're glad to have you with us."


	48. Chapter 48

_**AN: Thank you all my readers who have been frequenting my chapters as of late. Thank you all for being my source of drive to continue to produce these chapters. This chapter came after a bit of thought and after more than a few prayers. I had to figure out the pacing as well as a few other course-of-event elements. But thankfully, the Lord helped me finish in a way that I am very much pleased with.  
**_

_**Thank you all for your support and your time. As always: Read, Review, and Enjoy. See you next chapter—Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 48

Aelita returned to the dorm room, and in the cot's place stood a small twin mattress, and the covers and sheets were obviously of a quality a step above the standard fare most of the students would have gotten. Aelita gently sat on the bed, it was even of a different material. There were no springs. It was different, it was so very soft, Aelita sighed in contentment as she felt nothing but pure relaxation and comfort. Aelita groaned happily as she felt truly at ease. She sighed as she opened her eyes, and her eyes looked at Jacqueline's trunk that was now in the far corner just beneath the foot of the bed.

Aelita weighed a decision. The pros and cons of what she was considering were beyond substantial for either case. But she felt that considering recent events, to have a moment or two of clarity would be better than being hopelessly in a dog and pony show going in an eternal circle. Aelita got up from the bed, as much as her body screamed to return to the comfort, she had just experienced, and she gently locked the door. Kneeling beside the trunk, she snapped the clasps, and she opened the primary latch easing the trunk lid open.

Aelita carefully and methodically removed the piles of precisely folded clothes, memorizing the order they lay. In like manner, she proceeded to remove the soaps and shampoos. The small towels, Jacqueline for showers, Aelita also removed, uncovering under them, a thick book. Aelita took the book in her hands. It was packed, easily filling her hand, the pages were a bit yellowed on the edges, the binding was black leather, secured by buckle strap. Aelita unbuckled the strap, and she hesitated a moment, and then after an exhale, she opened the volume.

The first page read, "To my precious Jacqueline, I hope you find peace in your dream of going to France. Use this opportunity to find what honestly makes you happy.—Love Mom."

Aelita looked at the penmanship, it was exquisite and beautiful, and she could tell that it was written with care. Aelita turned the page, nothing was before her.

After she turned a few pages, she found an entry. "_Smart," _Aelita thought, "_the first six pages are blank to deter anyone nosy."  
_

She read the entry, "_May 1__st__: Not much to report. I'm just glad I made landfall with minimal issues. I know very well that I am not an ocean-goer. Well, not in the traditional sense, anyway. It was nice seeing Cousin Lucas in Marseilles. He's grown since last I saw him. I can see why Uncle P talks the world of him. He's exceptionally bright, a bit impulsive with his rage, but who isn't at our age? Lucas is much how I thought he'd be, or rather, my memory is more reliable than I thought. However, that's okay. Tomorrow, I'm going to Bordeaux to check out this nation's form of wine country. I've heard many good things about it, so we'll see what's there."  
_

Aelita turned the next page, "_May 8th__th__: Interesting things happened today. I met some of daddy's friends from his days at Dartmouth. Heidi is a lovely woman; he talked the most about her and encouraged if I met her this trip, I should get to know her. I personally think she's a second daughter, honestly due to how daddy went on about her accomplishments. Heidi's not overly friendly, but friendly enough. I learned she's a specialist in her field. A Master of Medicines and is well-reputed as being one of the best neurosurgeons in France. I can see why daddy wanted me to meet her, she's a brilliant person, even though she has all the humor of an undertaker.  
_

_Terry was another one. I only remember a tiny bit from when I was younger, but Terry is one of the funniest people I have met in a very long time. Daddy said Terry has a disposition as a joker, and honestly, it shows. It's not that Terry doesn't take things seriously, but as he says, "Sometimes some people are too serious about being serious and often need to be reminded how to laugh."  
_

_He is honestly one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. His hair is beautiful and so dark brown that I'd almost swear it was black, but it isn't black. He keeps it combed back, so he looks like an old mobster from a gangster movie. He has a magnificent smile; his teeth are off-white because, as Daddy says, "He loves his coffee more than having immaculate teeth." But that doesn't make much of a difference because he is so kind and so calm that I can just talk to him about anything.  
_

_There was another friend of Daddy's that I met, named Emilio. He's a limey, but he is a nice enough dude. In all reality, I think he talks just a bit too much. Well—maybe. He might talk too much or just like to dominate a conversation, either is not exactly pleasant. Even Terry as even-keeled as he is does ask Emilio to get to the point often. But he's alright. Emilio is really the tech wizard, though. Most wouldn't think it though to look at him. I mean, even in the formal setting in which I met him with the others, he strikes me very much as this was a forced dress up for him.  
_

_I admit it was wonderful getting to know daddy's friends and colleagues. I'm going into the education program daddy wanted for me to attempt tomorrow. We'll be driving to somewhere in Germany. It's actually amazing how small the nations of Europe are compared to the States. What's more, it's strange that you have to pay for the restroom's use over here. I suppose I can see the sense of it. if you wanted to genuinely have an undeniable aspect of eternal revenue, you could very much rely on the regularity of bowel movements."_

Aelita thought to herself, "_Even in her diary, she sounds like she's in parliament. I guess it's just how she is by nature."  
_

Aelita turned the page and continued to read, "_May 12__th__: I've spent more than enough time at the facility to see its uses. It's an absolutely fantastic place and in an excellent location for its purpose. It's nice and secluded, and yet because the overseers saw this as a goal, there are many forms of entertainment here to keep a lot of the people occupied, so they don't get cabin fever so much. The cinema stations that exist are two and are on either side of the campus, and they have alternating genres of films every two days, which is a smart aspect. On Friday nights, they show the epitome of indie-films. These films are usually some student's work, and what I find to be a particularly nice feature is that for all the earnings those screenings rake in, the proceeds are used to pay off select elements of a student's tuition, meal-plan, or some such element. It's actually one of the best systems of emotional support, encouragement, as well as an incentive I've seen.  
_

_I really do love this facility. I've never seen such open-minded and yet cautious people in my whole life. They are open-minded and more than willing to discuss the issues that matter. That's what's just so wonderful about them. So fervent are these teachers and students with their visions of solutions that you have a rate of both theory and real-world applications that you see what can work and what can't. It's not that a lot of the ideas can't work, but in the realm of reality, it's making these theories more socially palatable, not so much technologically possible.  
_

Aelita made a few mental notes, and she turned the next page, "_May 16__th__: Got some news from back home that cousin Wesley has made some significant breakthroughs with his application research. That said, I don't know why they tell me this stuff. I hardly know the guy. I appreciate his genius, but I don't know him well enough to form a genuine connection.  
_

_In all reality, despite the pretenses of my family, daddy, and I know the truth. The hard truth is that as soon as the bridges of connection to us are gone, those parts of our family will forever be distant from us. I saw this happen with the death of nanna. I saw the birth of it. The sad truth is despite pretense to the contrary, I know the reality. Great-Aunt Margie, Great Uncle Jim, and Great Aunt May are the last remnants of the old regime. And in many ways, they are our only connections to the rest of our family. Once those bridges are burned over time, the family's reality will be made manifest, not made clear, but our suspicions will likely be confirmed.  
_

_Anyway, onto more cheerful news. I was taken to the school where daddy worked before his self-imposed exile to Russia. It is a lovely little place. Very elegant and yet clean. I investigated aspects of tuition, but that is of little consequence now. However, as with any establishment, preference is given to alumnus. But, I have to remember what daddy sent me here for. I've asked Heidi for clarification on a few elements, but I have a powerful inclination to find what is to come and where I can find what daddy wanted me to find.  
_

Aelita was puzzled, and she paused a moment, and she advanced a few pages in the diary, and she opened. _June 4__th__: I've come to the understanding which should have been embraced long ago. If I could say anything from raw experience with the raw elements, I weep for our world leaders. There are so very many things that they are accountable for. I now understand the reality. __I realize what daddy and Terry tried to teach me, and this that you can either choose to nurture your people or protect your people. You cannot have both. Inevitably, one must win out in the end. That doesn't mean you can't have initiatives to encourage productivity, but you must decide between nurture or defense.  
_

_So many people, indeed so many rulers, have wanted the best of both worlds. However, to pursue both at the same time, I have learned through tough lessons, is paramount to an assurance of doom. I've tried. I've worked on various elements. I've exercised all manner of trying to balance the act. But sadly, I've learned balance is the ideal. The reality is that one side or the other will win out. I've concluded that at the end of the day, I'd rather have a robust and powerful army to protect my people than to have my people gorged to bloatation and without the wherewithal to defend themselves.  
_

_Therefore, I will work with Terry on the applicable doctrines before my presentation. I know what I'm doing will not go over well; indeed, some will question my genuine intent. But in the grand scheme, I know what must be done."  
_

Aelita's eyes went wide as she read this, and she was about to turn the page when the jiggle of the doorknob was heard. Aelita's eyes shot to the door, and feverishly, she closed the diary, secured it with the strap, and as calmly as she could as she started placing the articles of the trunk back into their place.

Soon a powerful knock was heard, "Hello? Aelita, you in there?" It was Jacqueline. Aelita hurried up, and she had finished, and very gently, she closed the lid and as quietly as she could, using her body as a suppresser, gently snapped the latches and the primary lock back into their places. The jiggling on the handle became more pronounced, and the force of the knocks this time had seemingly doubled. Aelita grabbed her CD player, plugged in her headphones, and put the unit on her bed.

Heading to the door, Aelita unlocked it and opened it, "Oh, I'm sorry, Jacqui. I took a small nap, and I had my headphones in."

Jacqueline looked at her and nodded, "May I come in?"

Aelita nodded, "Sure, you live here too." She made way for Jacqueline to enter.

Jacqueline entered, and she sat down on her bed. Aelita sat back on her bed and said, "That's a very nice bed. How'd you manage the hookup?"

Jacqueline shrugged, "It's called Capitalism, Aelita. You get what you pay for. Besides, it's a sight better than that rack of a cot."

Aelita nodded as she watched Jaqueline inspect her nails. Seeing a touch is disdain on her face, Aelita watched as Jacqueline grimaced, got up from her bed, and head to her trunk. She watched as Jacqueline open the trunk, and her heart stopped. A look of unfamiliarity was on her roommate's face as she looked over the contents of the chest. However, this look returned to a glimpse of stoicism, and Jacqueline took out a bottle of shampoo, a small bar of soap, a small towel, and her robe. Once done, Jacqueline reached back into the trunk and took out a combination lock. Closing the lid, Jacqueline snapped the securing clasps shut and the central bolt. Finally, through the primary links, the combination lock was placed and snapped shut. Taking her bathing supplies, she headed out the door.

Aelita was surprised, and after a moment, she got up and slowly went outside. She saw Jaqueline already at the door leading to the showers. Aelita sighed, and she headed down the hall to Jeremy's room. She knocked and hearing Jeremy's voice to enter, she did.

Jeremy was sitting at his computer, and he turned around and said, "Hello, Aelita. What's going on?"

Aelita sat silently on his bed, and she looked at her feet. Jeremy could tell by this that she was in a form of contemplation and so he held his tongue. He knew it was best to keep quiet until Aelita spoke so she would have gathered her thoughts.

After a moment, Aelita looked up and gave a sigh and said, "Jeremy, something isn't quite right about my roommate. I looked in her diary. I just wanted to see what it was. From what I've read, I'm actually in a dilemma."

Jeremy asked softly, "Why are you conflicted?"

Aelita sighed, "Honestly? It's because Jacqueline presented me with a form of her past, a narrative that doesn't match up with what's in her diary."

Jeremy was silent a moment, and then he asked, "Why were you in her diary in the first place? I am honestly a bit surprised that you of all people would do that kind of thing."

Aelita looked at him, her eyes intense, and replied, "Because, even though I listen to her, I share a room with her, it's like living with a ghost. Even though she tells me one thing, I can't shake the feeling there's far more to her than meets the eye. Her diary is eloquently written, just as she speaks. But what she told me of her background and portions of what I've read doesn't match up."

Jeremy nodded, "Explain."

Aelita leaned against the wall, "She said her father was a criminal, a very colorful one. However, she was taken by the state and adopted by a foster family. However, by her own admission, the foster family didn't hold much weight in her life's grand scheme. Jacqueline was adopted soon after by a family from Maine, and from there, according to her, is how she came to be here. However, to look at her diary, her father had connections here in France and portions of Germany.

According to what I've read, her own written testimony goes into an institute of some kind. From that institute and her father's friends, she apparently has learned about aspects of just rule and sustaining a nation. My biggest question is honestly, what kind of institution would teach those principles? What's more, the way she describes her lessons are so in-depth that having such a substantial impact on her, that I feel like I'm sharing a room with a soon to be world-leader. If not that, then someone who is introspective enough to see things on a level very uncommon, almost too much so compared to everyone else around her."

Jeremy nodded, "What were you able to read?"

Aelita replied, "Jacqueline speaks of how she feels sorry for the leaders of the world. Because there are a lot of things that she says she has experienced. That a true ruler must choose between either providing for the people or protecting them. In her mind, there is no ability to balance such a thing. According to Jacqueline, she's tried balancing provision with protection, and as much as she wanted the best of both worlds, her efforts ended in disaster. And so, in Jacqueline's mind, it is better to protect the people than provide for them where they are fat and lazy as a result." Aelita sighed, "I would have read more, but she came back to the dorm, and her trunk the diary is inside is locked up."

Jeremy arched his eyebrow, "Okay, take it easy. Jacqueline's getting irritated. Literally, do nothing out of the ordinary if you can help it. In time, I'm more than sure she'll relax enough to where she'll remove the lock. Until then, just bide your time. You said Jacqueline went to some institution, right? Did she describe anything about it?"

Aelita nodded, "She honestly couldn't stop talking about how much she loved the place. It was a place with two movie theaters. She called them cinemas, but one of them was utilized to show independent student films, and the revenue for tickets was used to pay tuition and room and board. That kind of thing."

Jeremy nodded and turned to his computer, "That policy alone stands out. Hold on, let me do a quick search."

Aelita nodded and lay on the bed. Meanwhile, Jacqueline was deep in thought as she let the shower's wonderfully cold water soothe her. However, as she cleaned up, she was listening to a conversation in a nearby stall.

"I honestly think it's nearly hopeless Tamia, we need a more substantial scoop for the paper. The sad thing is, circulation is down because I feel people don't care about what we're publishing." The voice said.

"Why don't you just listen to me, Milly?" Tamia replied, "Yes, we need a big scoop, but most of our readers are our own grade and maybe a class or two above and especially those under us. But we need something to really stick, to make it more than it has been."

Jacqueline listened to this, and as she listened to the dilemma, a smile gently emerged across her lips. Jacqueline turned off the shower, and she dried off. Once in her robe, Jacqueline took a deep breath and gently exhaled. She waited, two minutes, three minutes, eight. Finally, the showers stopped, and Jacqueline hid behind the corner of one of the stalls. Soon, Milly and Tamia came out of the showers and headed out. Jacqueline followed a safe distance behind them and watched as they headed into their room.

Making a note of this, she smiled even wider as she thought, "_You want a super scoop for your paper? Very well, you shall have it. Now to pick a topic that would incense the mind." _Jacqueline turned and headed back towards her room.

Back in Jeremy's room, Jeremy's computer made a small beep, "Got it!" Jeremy exclaimed.

Aelita looked over, "What did you find?"

"I did a backcheck of all schools with two cinemas, and what data matched the film policy for students you described. And I found it. It is located outside of Heidelberg, Germany, called Greunfelder Academy. It's the only academy to match up with that descriptive in terms of buildings. Also, what you saw in her observations from what she learned, it matches up with the school's course offering. The school emphasizes in socioeconomics, political science, as well as offering several advanced classes across a vast range of history. Wow," Jeremy said as his eyes went wide, "they also offer classes on advanced robotics."

Aelita nodded, "I see. Now it makes a bit more sense. Hmm—what does it say about tuition for the school?"

Jeremy did some typing, "It's actually pretty sizeable. The cheapest option: One class for one semester, which can be taken online, is about six thousand. This includes books and the like. However, if it were on campus, it significantly doubles. But yeah, six-thousand is the cheapest option doing the absolute bare minimum."

Aelita nodded, "So, this is where she obtained her enlightenment."

Jeremy chuckled, "I wouldn't call it enlightenment. Maybe some advanced knowledge, not enlightenment."

Aelita looked at him, "To you, what is the viable difference?

Jeremy replied, "If what you said of Jacqueline is true, then she's likely taken some extensive courses across all spectrums of these fields. From this exposure, she has formed her own hypothesis of what it means to run a government. Jacqueline also seems to believe that you cannot achieve balance when it comes to providing for and protecting the people. But how would she actively know that? The truth is, she doesn't."

Aelita retorted, "How would _you _know that, though? I may have my issues with Jacqueline, but really, I think you're threatened by her on some level."

Jeremy stopped typing and looked at Aelita with a smile, "What are you talking about?"

"Just what I said, you're threatened by her. Why? Because Jacqueline's viably smart. It is not that she makes boisterous claims without support, it's that on some level, she does scare you. You showed it to me. Because very few things, let alone a casual chess game, makes you afraid. It wasn't the chess game itself; it was her willingness to propose such a solution and stick to it. Really, Jeremy, I know you are brilliant, I have known this for a long time. But there are other spectrums of intellect apart from mathematics. Just as I know you to be a genius in mathematics, Jacqueline is very emotionally intelligent and perceptive.

In many ways, I know it terrifies you because it scares me as well. But you must understand, and I should have told you this a long time ago, but I had to be sure. You assume too much; everything is theoretical to you. The danger is this, the realm of theory when matched against reality, like oil and water it doesn't mix."

Jeremy looked at her more seriously, "Now, just hold on a moment, Aelita, I resent that."

"I don't care, it's the truth!" Aelita replied.

Jeremy retorted, "You can accuse me of at times being an egotist or even a baby with Patrick or anything else, but theory is not one of my failures!"

"No, it's one of your few successes!" Aelita burst out angrily, "I mean for goodness sake, Jeremey! How often have you proposed things in theory for Lyoko, and when the realm of reality was applied, it fucked us over until we could find a solution?! Huh? How many times?"

Jeremey was quiet, and he sighed.

Aelita looked at him, "Look, I know you have done some of the very best you could given certain situations, but Jeremy, you don't know everything. For goodness sake, you are still a kid, a teenager in high school. It hardly constitutes you reaching the zenith of your intelligence. Unless you were hypothetically the type to peak in high school, but that's not the fate that awaits you, we know that. Look, we all have our gifts and drawbacks," Aelita said as she got up, "but that doesn't mean we treat people as beneath us because of them."

As Aelita headed towards the door, Jeremy looked at her, "What's yours then?"

Aelita stopped in her tracks, and she looked at the door. Jeremy continued, "If mine is intellectual vanity, what's yours?"

Aelita replied, "I trust people too much and, by extension, give them too much benefit of the doubt."

Jeremy heard Aelita sigh as she headed out of the room. Jeremy was silent as he watched her leave, and while Jeremy weighed what Aelita had said, as was his nature, he didn't want to think about it too much. Because, deep in his heart, he knew Aelita was right. Aelita, for her part, headed out of the building and went out towards the park.

Now alone, Aelita let out a disgusted frustrated groan as she thought, "_Does he have any idea how frustrating he can be? Yes, he's brilliant, yes, I love him." _Aelita let out a scream so shrill it scattered the resting birds, "How you frustrate me, Jeremy Belpois!"

Aelita took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she gave slightly disgusted yells as her head jerked violently. Followed by a sigh, Aelita proceeded to head off campus towards the factory. In time, Aelita came to the factory, and to her surprise, a few upgrades had been made. The doors had been repurposed to carry on the illusion of the ruin of the factory, but they were electronically locked.

Aelita knocked and looked at the camera above, "Sylvia, I know you're in there. I need to talk!"

There was a slight beep, and the door unlocked and opened. Aelita stepped inside, and what she saw amazed her. What she and the others had seen earlier were only the beginning phases of something grander. The entire factory was up and working with various men and women working at modules on the upper levels. The lower level consisted of several large dampeners, and despite their size, their noise was extremely minimal. All around her, various people walked following their tasks. The sheer amount of manpower was surprising to behold.

A young, thin red-haired man with a large mustache in a white coat approached her, "Aelita Stones?"

She nodded, and he replied, "My name is Patrick. Ms. Penrose said it is alright for you to head down into the central core. Once you have finished your time, you will be escorted back here where you may exit the building."

Aelita nodded, "You guys did some remodeling for sure."

Patrick nodded, smiling slightly, "Come on, you're a walk-in, so you have a standard twenty minutes to talk to Sylvia."

As they headed to the lift, Aelita asked, "Walk-in? Do you mean I have to schedule an appointment to see my sister?"

Patrick pressed the lift button and replied, "Yes, that would be preferred. Bear in mind, we are quite busy most days of the week, but you can have at an hour at most if you schedule time. Apart from that, fifteen minutes for walk-ins."

Aelita rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry, I don't want to disturb her royal highness if it's an inconvenience."

The lift reached the destination, and the door opened. Patrick gestured, "Fifteen minutes. If you can convince Sylvia to extend the time, so be it. I'm just an overseer of production; that is all."

Aelita stepped out into the computer lab and saw that it as well was given a massive overhaul. The platform that was once so simple now had a central node and twelve corresponding nodes in a perfect circle. Aelita went forward and sat in the chair, which also had been revised into a black leather affair. Aelita would have been lying had she said she wasn't impressed by the chair's raw comfort. Hearing a small beep to her right, Aelita looked and saw a form of a helmet. It wasn't a hulking thing as she would have thought, but small and streamlined.

Aelita picked it up and examined it. On the computer screen before her, appeared a message, "Hello, Sister dear. Please put the council unit on your head so we can talk freely."

Aelita carefully placed the unit on her head, and afterward, she heard a small hum resound in the room. Aelita tensed. Suddenly, she felt a powerful rush of cold air, coupled with an internalized feeling of a warm vibrating numbness and sudden lightheadedness before falling back into the chair.

Aelita awoke laying on a platform. She looked at herself, she was in her Lyoko avatar. She was apprehensive, for there was nothing she could hear. Underneath her, a turquoise figure of a dove appeared on a black background.

Aelita looked around and called out, "Sylvia? Are you there?"

At that moment, a flash of turquoise light flashed, and before her stood the familiar face of the North-Gate system, "Yes, I'm here. How may I help you?"

Aelita replied, "I have a bit of a problem."

"Clearly, if you have come to me in person." Sylvia replied, "What is the nature of the problem?"

"There is a new student at Kadic who's being particularly bothersome." Aelita replied, "I don't know if she'll be there short or long term, so I'd like to know more about her if I could."

"An invasion of privacy? Huh, seems a bit out of character for someone of your disposition. Mind if I ask why so suddenly curious?"

"Well, here's the issue. This girl, her name is Jacqueline, knows way too much for someone of her age, far too much."

"So do you, by extension of that excuse. That hardly seems a justification for the invasion of someone else's privacy." Sylvia replied as she sat on the seal, "Sorry, sis. I need more concrete reasoning than what you have proposed. However, if I were to cut to the chase, is she a threat to you?"

Aelita shook her head, "Not inherently, no. it's just she very much makes me and a few others kind of uneasy."

"How so?"

"She's—she's…" Aelita stopped, "Look, I just don't want her around. I just get a bad feeling from her."

"Okay," Sylvia replied, "What do you want me to do about it? If you don't like this person, you have to learn how to live with it if you aren't prepared to talk to the person in question."

Aelita folded her arms, "Seriously? I know you've killed people over more trivial matters than this."

"Kill? I'm growing concerned, Aelita. Do you really want this person gone so much you want them permanently out of the equation?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Aelita said, becoming frustrated. She took a deep breath and said, "Look, can you help me deal with this problem?"

Sylvia looked at her, "I can, but I need you to give me an idea of just how you want me to help, understand? You want me to get rid of this person—I heard that. But you have not given me a sufficient reason as to why or how you would desire this girl's removal. Until you can answer those questions, I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"I really don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this. I am asking for your help, Sylvia! I'm asking for this small favor because I just don't trust this girl! I don't trust her for the simple fact that of all the people I've seen, of all the variety of things your brother threw at us, this is the one person that legitimately on some level, I am afraid to share a bedroom with."

Sylvia looked at her and nodded, "Okay, I understand you are afraid of her, but you still haven't told me _why_. Until you can answer that question, I can't do anything."

Aelita sat down on the platform, hung her head, and groaned internally. Seeing this, Sylvia said, "Aelita, I don't exactly know all that's going on right now. I know something's going on with you, but I won't be able to help you unless you are honest with me on what is the actual issue here."

Aelita looked at her, "I'm scared because Jeremy's scared. It takes a good bit to shake his foundation of courage. I at first wanted to write it off because I thought Jeremy was just a touch paranoid. But, on some level, because I know he was genuinely afraid, I confronted my roommate.

However, the very defense of her actions was so logical that I couldn't argue her validity. But what genuinely scared me personally was that she was so good at understanding Jeremy's weaknesses from a mental function, something that took her no time at all, that I realized that this is someone who is just not normal. You said yourself that I know too much for my apparent age, that is true, I don't debate that. However, just as I am a mathematical genius, my roommate is the psychological variant. For that gift, it's far more unnerving because I honestly feel like that there's nothing she hasn't seen, nothing she can be fooled by."

Sylvia listened and asked, "But, why would you want to fool her?"

Aelita was about to speak and then stopped, she thought about this question and replied, "It's not wanting to fool her as in the form of cruel joke. It's that—okay, you know what our mission entails, you know very well what we do for our extracurricular activities. To not be able to fool someone like her, it means we would have to be so careful in our planning that she wouldn't notice our absence."

Sylvia smirked, "You treat her like she's superhuman." Sylvia got up, paced along the platform's edge, and said, "I know what you need to do, and you may not agree, but it seems the most valid solution for this kind of thing. What you need to do is reason with this person but do not lie if what you say is true because it would make this situation worse. Don't tell her the exact truth of what is going on, but give her enough she wouldn't question your extracurricular work."

Aelita nodded, "Could you not just reactivate my field kit?"

"Not at present, I'm sorry. The kit systems are undergoing some protocol changes as well as functional evaluations and changes afterward. For right now, you will have to talk to your roommate. If she proves unreasonable even after an attempt, then come back here, and I may consider a more drastic measure befitting the situation. Now, if you'll excuse me, love, I have a few things to tend to. I hope things get better for you."

Sylvia snapped her fingers, and there was a radiant display of turquoise light from the dove on the seal, and Aelita woke up in the chair. Aelita looked around and saw Patrick standing nearby, and he looked at her and made a few notes on his clipboard.

Aelita took off the integration unit, and she looked at Patrick, "That was fifteen minutes?"

Patrick shook his head, "She extended your session. Now, follow me."

Aelita followed Patrick to the lift, which, as soon as she came alongside him, the door to the lift opened. After a brief ascent, the doors opened, and Patrick said, "Would you like to schedule another visit?"

Aelita looked at him and said, "I don't think it honestly matters your little rules. The actual weight of the situation is what matters." At the same time, she thought, "_The theoretical versus the reality." _Aelita then said, "I'm sorry, Patrick, I know how lists are important to the overall grand scheme. Tell you what, can you schedule me on Tuesday at five in the evening?"

Patrick smiled, "Of course. How long?"

"Oh, not too long, twenty-five minutes, maybe thirty?"

Patrick nodded, "I'll put down the full forty that way, there's time, in case the conversations get involved as they honestly have a history of doing."

Aelita nodded, and she then asked, "Oh, Patrick, Sylvia mentioned the field kits were being revamped. What does that exactly entail?"

Patrick replied, "Honestly, it's a bit too early to tell just yet. Once the assessments are completed, we'll have a clearer picture in terms of what's being trimmed and what stays."

Aelita nodded, "Alright, well, I'll see you in a couple of days then."

Patrick nodded, "See you soon, Aelita."

Meanwhile, back at Kadic, Jacqueline was sitting in the recreation room reading the most current _Popular Science issue, _which she had been able to snag from a collection of magazines in the teacher's lounge. As she read, she heard someone clearing their throat. Looking up from her reading, she saw Magali.

"May I help you, Mademoiselle Vasseur?" Jacqueline asked.

Magali nodded, and she sat next to her, "I've been asking around. Apparently, you're our girl of mystery. No one knows where you came from, no one knows who you are. So, my question, why did the school phantom approach me first?"

Jacqueline smirked, and she exhaled through her nose, "Because you intrigue me. It's all in the eyes with you. You have passion, a bit of madness, but what realm of genius does not have a drop of madness?"

Magali looked at her, "In what way am I a genius?"

"You are very socially aware, socially apt in your actions. You are skillful in that game far more than the pretenders out there, such as Ms. Delmas. It is because of your aptitude that I approached you, and your reading material at the time very much suggested you had a good head on your shoulders. Not every girl in your position, particularly that of cheerleader, takes an interest in reading psychiatric journals."

Magali looked at Jacqueline, her face softened, "You take an interest in psychiatry as well?"

"But of course. However, in my line of work, it's more criminal psychology."

"Line of work?" Magali asked, "Don't you mean line of interest?"

"In my language, the terms are synonymous. It is best to have a plan for the future, at the very least."

Magali nodded, "Some friends and I are having a get-together tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to join us?"

Jacqueline looked at her, "What is the get-together oriented around?"

Magali shrugged, "Mmm, just the meeting of some like-minded people. Besides, I feel it would be beneficial for you to expand your social network beyond that of just your roommate."

Jacqueline nodded, "Valid point, the main benefit is I'm meeting new people. Alright, sure. When and where do we meet?"

Magali replied, "My room, tomorrow at five in the afternoon."

Jacqueline nodded, "Excellent. Would you like me to bring anything in terms of overall refreshments?"

Magali's eyes drifted to the far corner, and Jacqueline took note of this, "It's not required, but thank you for asking."

Jacqueline smiled, "Until tomorrow then." Jacqueline stood up, "Oh, by the way, what is our topic for tomorrow's discussion?"

Magali looked at her, "Who says there has to be a topic?"

"Forgive me, Magali, I don't exactly believe in inane blather or gossip. It is a waste of my time. I would prefer it if I am to meet with someone that the meeting has a talking point of substance."

Magali arched her eyebrows, "Hmm, very well. A topic we could discuss is homosexuality throughout history. If it is an innate function or if it is a learned function."

Jacqueline's face was stoic, but, in her mind, she was laughing. She then spoke, "Counter-proposal: We discuss the criminal mind and if it's nurture or nature that makes a monster."

Magali nodded, "Agreed."

Jacqueline nodded, "See you soon."

"Oh, just one thing, before you go," Magali said.

"Yes?" Jacqueline asked.

"How did you know I was a cheerleader? I never expressed that to you as something I did."

"Oh, sweet Magali, do you think you are the only one who does research on newly made acquaintances?" Jacqueline said with a smile and a wink.

Magali smiled in return, "How I'd love to get you on my couch."

Jacqueline chuckled, "Okay, Dr. Lecter. I'll see you tomorrow."

Magali looked surprised, "I'm surprised you know that movie. Actually, sure, we can honor your discussion point, but additionally, let's discuss the psychology of literary characters as well."

"Such twists and turns your mind takes. It is really quite amusing. Alright, very well. So, I will see you tomorrow."

Jacqueline headed out of the recreation room, and as she did, she tapped into her implant, "_Terry, you there?" _

"_Present as always, love." _Terry replied, "_How can I help you?"_

"_Have Yolanda on standby for tomorrow evening. I have a feeling I'm going to need some backup." _

"_Is there a problem?"_

_"Not yet, but if my inclination and gut are wrong, it won't be long before one arises. So, have Yolanda ready with code two. Just in case."  
_

_"Ah, understood. Alright, consider it done."  
_

"_Thank you. I'll talk to you later." _


	49. Chapter 49

_**AN: I had not anticipated this degree of readers, and I'm more than pleased to see that word of the fic is apparently spreading. Thank you all for your continued support and viewership. I felt that things for this chapter needed to have what I'd call a breather moment while bearing in mind many things going on. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I felt it essential to give such a chapter for both my audience and myself. So, I hope you all read, review, and enjoy. I'll see you next chapter. —Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 49

Aelita arrived back at Kadic, and it was now early evening. She sighed as she looked at the dormitory building. Aelita knew Sylvia wouldn't help her in the regard she wanted. Aelita had to learn to get along with Jacqueline, to tolerate her would assuredly be an accurate descriptive. However, not wanting to jump into the frying pan just yet, Aelita headed into the main building towards the library.

As she entered, Aelita saw Amelia Beck silently reading in the designated quiet spots of the library. Aelita gently went over towards her and sat across from her. Amelia seemed oblivious to Aelita's presence as she simply turned a page. Aelita took advantage of this and read the spine of the book her former roommate was engrossed in, _The Talented Mr. Ripley _by Patricia Highsmith. The title itself seemed interesting enough, Aelita had to admit.

Aelita cleared her throat, and Amelia put her book down. Upon seeing Aelita, she looked pleasantly surprised, "Oh, hello. How are you?" she asked a touch of apprehension in her voice. 

Aelita smiled somewhat, "I'm fine, thanks. Look, I just wanted to say I hope there's no bad blood between us considering everything that happened so far."

Amelia shrugged, "Eh, it's alright. I think we both were wrong when all is said and done. For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. Just because you reprimanded me, it doesn't justify kicking the snot out of you. How are you as far as that's concerned?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Aelita said, "Nurse Yolanda patched me up. But that said, I must give credit where it's due, you kick like a horse." 

Amelia chuckled a bit, "It's no accident, I assure you. For years I practiced as a kickboxer, and so it makes sense you'd say that I mean, to me, the legs always seemed the most effective weapons of the human body to develop anyway." 

Aelita smirked, "Well, I can't deny the results if that's your mindset. How's your room situation with Claire?"

Amelia grimaced, "Eh, it's what it is. In my opinion, she's awfully chatty, but it's not even the fun kind of chatty. I mean, all this girl talks about is the next essay she has to do. Claire's a workaholic, and she's asked me to revue some of her ideas for next semester. I mean, what kind of nerd prepares that far ahead and even foolishly so by making papers that very well may not come to even be assigned? It's the epitome of wasteful, in my view." 

Aelita leaned back in her chair, "Honestly, consider yourself lucky. When it comes to Claire, her papers are second to none in making a convincing point. Sure, she's a bit flowery in her presentation, but that's to be expected of her more or less."

"A bit flowery? Botanical gardens spanning forty-two hundred acres that aren't nearly as flowery as she is in her presentation."

Aelita chuckled, "Claire is honestly a great writer, but honestly, you hit it on the head. The truth is she gets in her own way more than she'd care to admit. But, hey, you have to start somewhere."

Amelia shrugged, "True. Oh, speaking of roommates, how's yours, or have you stayed in a nice sanctuary to yourself?" 

Aelita shook her head, "No such luck, unfortunately. No, I was given a new roommate in the form of a junior psychologist from Hell, Jacqueline Gray." 

Amelia's eyes went wide, "Oh, lucky you. I wouldn't room with that girl."

Aelita looked at her, "What are you talking about? She's not that bad."

Amelia laughed a bit, "Pinkie, don't lie. Because you have one of the most easily read faces I've seen. The simple fact you lie and say she's not that bad is telling me she's making your life a hell. So, what's going on?" 

Aelita sighed as she raised her hand, "You got me. Alright, simply put? She's a head-shrinker. It's just everything is a mind game, and it's kind of irritating. And honestly, it's not a good sign when your roommate lies to you about their backstory. I mean, no disrespect, it's not like you where I largely knew what I was getting. However, you being a seasoned fighter, did catch me by surprise. But still, you never lied to me." 

Amelia looked at Aelita, "How do you know she lied to you?"

"Because she was such an enigma one hand, a pain in the ass on the other, I had to sate my curiosity. So, yeah, while she was out, I broke into her trunk and read her diary. I think she caught on though because she put a lock on the damn thing." She sighed, "Notwithstanding, I found that what she had told me was all a lie, so I don't know what to believe right now."

Amelia shook her head, slightly bemused, "Man, she really has been putting the screws to you, that's evident. I mean, the Aelita I met cursed, but not at the rate you do now. Also, your frustration and blood-pressure are through the roof sister. I personally advise you to take a break from Sigmund Freud. Because to have this go on, she's robbing you of your peace, and that's not good for you." 

"Easy for you to say, I have to go back to share a room with her in a few hours," Aelita replied with a sigh. 

"Simple. Don't sleep in your room tonight." 

"What are you proposing?"

"Just this, we switch rooms for the night. It gives you rest, and besides, by describing this girl, I won't have an issue with her. I mean, you and I may not exactly get along, but by describing this one, I'd just hate her on principle." 

"How does that help you, though?" Aelita asked. 

"Simple. This little bitch goes too much of an egghead on me, I'll punch her into next week. I don't do well with people trying to psychoanalyze me. I actually hate it."

"But what about your father's position here? If you get into another fight, you'll get kicked out of Kadic."

"So what? I've been kicked out of every other academic institution I've been in; this would be no different. The system is largely a joke. They treat me like I'm a delinquent asshole, they give me demerit on my permanent record saying I'm a delinquent asshole, expecting me to reform when they treat me as no better than the dirt on their shoe? Why the hell would I do that? I'm a delinquent asshole."

Aelita looked at Amelia, "You have to realize your actions don't just affect you; you know that, right?" 

Amelia looked at Aelita, her eyes sharp, "Do you want a break from the jerk tonight or not?"

Aelita nodded, and Amelia nodded in turn, "Good. Therefore, do not question how I do my thing, I won't question how you do your thing, and we'll get along like the dysfunctional odd couple that is Lucy and Ricky Ricardo."

Aelita shrugged, "Fair enough, I guess. I appreciate this though, I mean it."

Amelia chuckled, "Don't thank me yet. You've yet to deal with Claire's obnoxious sleep routine."

Aelita looked surprised, "Huh?"

Amelia smiled, "You'll see, sunshine."

Amelia got up, "I'll let Claire know what's going on. When do you want to make the switch?"

Aelita nodded, "Preferably around seven-thirty. That's when I usually go to bed. Jacqui usually turns in at eight-thirty or so." 

Amelia looked at her watch, "Alright then, in two hours. See you then."

Aelita smiled a bit as she watched Amelia leave. In many ways, Aelita was considering that in some capacity, she had misjudged Amelia. She was not nearly at the realm of trust as to call her a friend, but a simple act of this kind to give Aelita a break from a budding psychoanalyst with a severe case of judgment was a good start.

Aelita left the library, having a bit of peace of mind was honestly so beautiful that she could not help but have a stupid grin on her face. As she looked around, Aelita saw that there steadily more and more people students coming in, which made sense as there was a shrinking window before the classes started. The new crop would be exciting to see, Aelita knew because, in all reality, it was just a new group of faces across all the grades.

Headed towards the dormitory, Aelita saw Jim and another student heading up the stairs. Aelita had to admire the student. He was gorgeous to look at from the back. His shoulders were broad, his legs long and thin. He wore-form fitting dark blue jeans, dark brown leather shoes, and an aquamarine short-sleeve shirt. His hair was what Aelita could only call harvest wheat-gold kept in a short braid at the back of his. Not only was this physical presentation, something to behold, but a scent that emanated from the young boy was that of sweet watermelon and some other kind of spice. 

Seeing their level of progress up the stairs, however, Aelita knew there was a separate staircase. She headed to the western staircase and headed up the stairs quickly and soon came to Jeremy's door, which was open. Going to the threshold, Aelita looked in and saw Jeremy in a state of manic re-ordering.

Aelita smiled as she asked, "Trouble in paradise?"

"Of a sort," Jeremy said as he was trying to figure out the layout of the room that most benefitted him, "The field ornament is coming soon, so I'm trying to get ahead of the forced transition with the optimum functional solution." 

Aelita snickered, "Which by your own design largely benefits you, no doubt."

"I am going from a command center to a cubicle, and nothing I could do was able to convince Delmas to alter his mind, so of course, I'm going to milk this for all its worth." 

Aelita sighed, "And what if Jim throws the best-laid plans of mice and men out the window entirely?"

Jeremy looked at her, "Don't even say that!"

"Too late, it's already been said," Aelita said with a smile. 

Jeremy looked at her, "Are you enjoying this?"

"I am, honestly. I kind of appreciate it that things are now a bit more level in the grand scheme. I have a psychoanalyst of a roommate; you have an ornament of the playing field as you say. Hopefully, you get along with your roomie better than I do. But the week's young, so, we'll see."

Jeremy looked at her, "What's the matter with you?"

Aelita shrugged, "Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be better by morning. Amelia and I are going to switch rooms so I can get a goodnight's sleep."

"Amelia? How—oh, you mean Beck?" Jeremy asked. 

Aelita nodded, and soon Jim was heard down the hall, "Belpois, make room!"

Jeremy groaned, and Aelita made way as she said, "Good luck." She turned to leave but saw the young man from before entering the room. 

The young man put down a rucksack and said, "Hey there. You must be Jeremy." His voice, Aelita noticed, was very smooth and soft, which was shocking for his size of at least six foot two inches. He extended his hand to Jeremy, "Al Krueger, pleased to mee you." 

Jeremy shook his hand and said, "Al? What you don't like Alfonse?" 

Al smiled, "Unless you're my grandpa, you call me Al like every other member of the human race." He looked at Jim, "Thanks for your help, Mr. Morales, I'll get the rest of the stuff myself."

Jim set down a larger cot, given Al's size, "No worries." 

Al then asked, "Are there any particular rules or regulations I should know about as a general thing?"

Jim replied, "Strictly speaking, there should be no girls on the boys' section of the dorm and vice-versa after seven-thirty in the evening." 

Al nodded, "Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you around. What class do you teach, if any?"

Jim replied, "Gym class and most physical fitness activities."

Al smiled, "Boy, did your parents have some foresight or what?" 

Aelita burst out laughing, and even Jeremy chuckled. 

Al hearing Aelita's laughter said, "See? This girl gets it! What's your name, where are you from?"

Aelita said after she recovered, "Aelita Stone and from Canada."

Al exclaimed, "Yes! Canadians! The Ned Flanders of my nation!"

Jim looked slightly peeved, but Al seeing this said, "See, Jim who teaches Gym Class, the funny thing is that Canadians unlike many of their neighbors actually get the concept of some things being interpreted as they were always meant to be, a joke!" 

Jim looked at him, "For the sake of Ms. Stones, I'll give you a pass. But do not get cozy with overfamiliarity, kid."

Al smiled, clicked his heels, and bowed.

Jim rolled his eyes and said, "I have other kids to see to. Make sure you get the rest of your stuff within the hour, please. The premises are locked off at eight sharp."

Al nodded, "Very good. Thank you."

Jim headed off, and Aelita said, "That was actually very funny. Not many people can do that very well except maybe our friend Odd." 

Al nodded, "I see it kinda' like this that in all reality most comedic situations line themselves up, the fact alone you're Canadian was just the icing on the cake and gave me an escape card. So, thank you."

Aelita smiled, "Jeremy, I really think you're going to like him."

Jeremy, however, was silent as he watched this interaction. Al looked at him and said, "Ah, he'll be fine. Be careful, buddy, get a bit too hot under that collar of yours, and if history is any guide, your glasses will fog up like the car windows at a drive-in." 

Aelita laughed and said, "See you both later, and Jeremy play nice." 

Jeremy gave a half-smile and gingerly waved goodbye. As the door closed, Alfonse looked around and said, "You know, they said you'd largely been on your own. Give credit where it's due, this place is pretty spick and span." 

Jeremy nodded, and he said, "Mm-hmm. First, some ground rules, Al." 

Al looked at him, "Alright, go on."

"Stay away from Aelita. I already have a good feel on you. You are a charismatic guy; I do not deny. You may get whomever you want back in the States, not so here. I don't care if you pursue others, just stay away from Aelita. Are we clear?"

Al chuckled, "What are you, her brother, cousin, or something?" 

Jeremy shook his head, "No, I'm just telling you, stay away from her."

Al pursed his lips, and his eyes indicated he was thinking, "See, I would take your request more seriously if you were a relative. However, there are also a few rules that I choose to embrace, unlike my fellow countrymen. I realize I largely must abide with you under the same roof, and so out of the respect we share a mutual living space, I will respect your request. But do not think you can tell me what to do apart from that, you get that Belpois?"

Jeremy wanted to say more but decided against it as he saw a look that advertised genuine danger in the American's eyes. So, Jeremy said, "A fair request."

Al nodded with a smile, "Good. Now, I'm going to get the rest of my stuff up here. You can help if you'd like."

He headed out and down the stairs, and Jeremy remained in the room a moment. As Jeremey looked at the rucksack, he went over to it and thought, "_He's not that strong, is he?" _

Taking hold of it and lifting, he gasped as he could barely lift the ruck, and it fell solidly to the ground. He was amazed, "How much is in this thing?!" He said out loud. 

He headed downstairs, and he once outside, he found Al and said, "I'll help, but my gosh, what is in that bag of yours?" 

"My ruck?" he asked, "Oh, the essential starter wardrobe, a filtration thermos until I adapt to your country's water. Those kinds of things." 

Jeremy said, "It weighs a ton!"

Al froze and looked at him, "Go back to the dorm, you're of no use here."

Jeremy looked at him, "I protest."

"Protest as much as you like. Doesn't change the facts of what is. Go back to the dorm. I can handle it myself. Unless you know of someone with strength, then maybe you _can_ help."

Jeremey groaned and headed back inside. He was struck by an idea, and the idea that he knew was a fifty-fifty chance of happening. He headed back into the dorm and soon knocked at the door.

Nicholas opened the door, "Jeremy?" he was surprised, "Need something?"

Jeremy weighed what to say but decided to be direct, "I need your muscle."

Nicholas rolled his eyes, "Alright." He said with slight exasperation, "Let's go."

Jeremy soon came back to Al, and he saw Al suited with a bedroll, and there was still a bundle to be grabbed. 

Al looked surprised, "Ah, so you're the resident jock? Good. Grab the bundle, it's only thirty pounds."

Nicholas nodded and grabbed the bundle and carried it with minimal effort. As they reached Jeremy's dorm, Nicholas set it down inside ad Al said, "Thanks for your help. What's your name?"

"Nicholas." He replied, "Nicholas Poliakoff."

Al looked surprised, "Poliakoff? Wait, this would make sense, are your parents Nicolette and Orin Poliakoff?"

Nicholas nodded, understandably shocked, "Yes, how did you know?" 

Al smiled, "My father Serge met yours when he served in Germany. Alfonse Kruger," He extended his hand.

But Nicholas immediately hesitated and backed up, "So, you're the son of Serge "Cabal" Kruger." Nicholas rolled his eyes his face in the form of a smile and said, "Of course. Dad and his military friends. Well, happy to meet you, I suppose. Hopefully, you are more principled than your father was. According to dad, that man had no real scruples." 

"Hey, it was war, what do you expect? Victory is the only condition my father accepted. Anything to assure that was justified in his eyes." 

Nicholas chuckled and groaned, "This gonna' be a long semester. Look, let's just clear the air. Your dad and mine, even though they had respect for each other, their methods varied differently. I'm not going to debate who's right. I literally came here because my mother insisted, I lead a different life, and that's what I'd like to do. Now, if you want to be friendly, sure. But our military history, the politics of it all, forget it. Not interested in even discussing it."

Al nodded and said, "Very well. Just thought I'd ask."

"No, no, you didn't. My mother warned me about your family that you'd likely wash up here one day. Even so, I hold no anger towards you, but still, don't lie to me." Nicholas said. He then looked at Jeremy, "See you around. I have to get ready for a few things tomorrow."

Nicholas headed down the hall, and Jeremy looked at Al, who simply shrugged and sat on his cot, saying, "Well, that went about as well as expected." 

Jeremy looked at him, "It's rare Nicholas gets mad ant anyone. Is there really that great a deal of bad blood between you?"

Al looked at Jeremy and got up to unpack his ruck, "Between us, no. But, our fathers, that's a different story, and it's a long and involved one. I just want to get unpacked. Alright, so how are we divvying up the furniture allowance?" 

Jeremy replied, "Honestly, I worked out largely a system where we have a respective side of the dresser and armoire. It's literally splitting it. I hope that's alright."

Al looked at the dresser and armoire as well as their contents. After doing a few estimates, he said, "Jeremy, do you know how to roll your clothes? Reason I ask is that if you don't, I can show you how. That way, you'd get more bang for your buck in terms of how much more space you can get out of the furniture, and if your wardrobe expands, you can have more ready access to stow away your new selections." 

Jeremy looked surprised, "Alright, sure, show me."

Al took out a pair of socks from his ruck and unrolled them, saying, "Take out a pair of your own socks." 

Jeremy did so, and Al explained while demonstrating, "Lay them out, and use one knee and stretch the socks as you roll them towards your knee. Roll from the toes to top. Keep the socks taut until reaching the knee, as I am doing, and once to your knee, take the top, fold over, and there's it's rolled and tight."

Jeremy presented his best attempt from the instructions.

Al nodded, "Good enough. It just takes practice. Best part about this kind of thing is you can use it largely across the whole clothing spectrum. It makes things a lot more convenient, honestly."

Jeremy watched as Al unloaded all manner of socks and laid them in his allotted space in the drawers of the dresser, and to his amazement, more and more could easily be put inside the drawers. When it came to filling up his side of the armoire, Al showed the same measure of amazement. Sixteen shirts on one shelf alone, and once Al finished, he sat on his cot and put his ruck in the corner. Jeremy double-checked to be sure this wasn't a form of magician's trick. But no, his eyes didn't deceive him. The shirts filled up one shelf the jeans and slacks that he'd packed were perfectly folded for the minimum spread, and the second shelf was not even halfway filled, and yet there were eight pairs of both types of pants on the shelf. 

Jeremy looked at Alfonse, "Okay, teach me. I want to know how you do that."  
Al smiled and said, "Sure. But after dinner. When is it served by the way?" 

Jeremy looked at his computer, "Oh, rats! Come on, it's being served now. If we hurry, we can still get a bit of variety."

Al chuckled, "Right behind you." He said as he got up and followed Jeremy out.

Once inside the cafeteria, Jeremy said, "Ah, great, right on time. Come on, the line's not too long."

Al followed and joined Jeremy along with Odd and Aelita at the food line.

Odd seeing Al's stature alone looked at Jeremy and said under his breath, "Hey, Jeremy, who's the tree?"

Jeremy smiled, "Guys, this is Alfonse Kruger. He's my new roommate. Al, this is Odd Della-Robbia, and you've already met Aelita."

Odd's eyes went wide, "You sure are tall. What did your parents feed you?"

Al shrugged, "Mysteries, honestly."

Odd looked at him, "Huh?"

"The answer you seek is literally in my response," Al said with a laugh. 

Aelita looked at him, "Al, with respect, no riddles, not today. I have a friend who delights a bit too much in that."

Al gave a light sigh, "Oh, very well, very well. You win. Anyway, so what's to eat?"

Odd said, "Tonight it's either Goulash or house soup which honestly isn't bad for summer but winter, I'll largely pass."

Al looked surprised, "Really? You'd think that winter would be prime time for soup. It is from my neck of the woods anyway."

Odd nodded, "This is true to the rational thinker. However, some bizarre change happens in winter, where the soup tastes like over-used sneakers and has the texture of more mush than soup." 

Al grunted in disgust and said, "Well, at any rate, I'm very pleased to see that it's pretty well-kept for a boarding school. Believe me, this is not often the typical case even on college dorms back home." 

Jeremy looked at him, "You know what it's like on college dorms?"

Al nodded, "Oh yeah. My brother Tim is in college right now and is going to community college before he goes to a state college. Which is smarter than most people who don't weigh their options as much. It gets his feet wet, and it honestly assesses if he really wants to go to college or do something else."

In time, everyone got their portions, and they sat down at a small table. Al bowed his head all of thirty seconds and then began to eat. "So," He said, "Where are you from Odd?" 

"I'm from Norway. I'm here because well, my parents are constantly doing their thing in the entertainment world, and they were adamant I have an education. What about you? Aelita told me you're from the States, which one?" 

"I'm from a small town in the north of Missouri. It's practically smack-dab in the middle of the country. But I personally think that the center-most state is Kansas, our neighbor."

Odd nodded, "Just how big is your country? I've heard many things about it from my mom on her trips to the States now and again. But what's it like?" 

"I can't really say without knowing where your mom went. I mean, that is how big our country is. A lot of us in general, we may know the ins and outs of our own state, but you would be surprised how many "state-homebodies" as we call them there are." 

"My mom went to New York, my dad as well, a bit of dabbling in Chicago, but that's the extent of it." 

"Ah. Well, Chicago, speaking from personal experience, is one of those cities were your literal community and ethnic group play into how you see the city itself. I didn't have it near as bad as some others in the public schools. But think of Chicago as the flagrantly corrupt sister of New York and literally gives no shits about being called out on it. New York, even though I've personally never have been for any legitimate impressions, it is nice enough. But I'd have to do more active participation in the area to give a more nuanced impression."

Odd ate his food and then said to Aelita, "How's the roommate situation working out?"

Aelita looked back at him, "Well enough. I'm getting a break from her tonight, at least. Thanks to Amelia." 

"The girl who beat the tar out of you? _She's _helping?"

"We're trying to patch things up, Odd. The simple fact she proposed this small courtesy is a very nice thing overall. It's something I fully embrace. The downside is apparently bunking with Claire for a night."

"Oh, tell me about it. I liked Claire, but in all reality, to get that girl to sleep, it's like performing an exorcism, the hokey-pokey, and giving a speech on Creationism vs. Evolution all at once while trying to figure out what to wear the next day." 

Aelita shrugged, "It beats being probed by my roommate."

"I knew Jacqueline was strange, but I didn't think she was into anal or you for that matter," Odd said. 

Aelita delivered a punch to Odd's ribs, "Shut up, Odd! You can be such a child sometimes!"

Odd groaned, "I'm sorry, it's just a joke!"

Al chuckled, "It's perhaps a joke not best befitting the situation, Odd."

Jeremy looked at Odd, saying gently, "Hey, lay off. She's been under a good bit of stress lately. With Jacqui, our mutual friend, it can take its toll, you know that."

Aelita looked at Jeremy, "Our mutual friend isn't so much the issue these days, shockingly. I asked her opinion on this, and she wasn't exactly helpful, but she wasn't a waste of time either. Sometimes a girl needs to talk to someone who can serve as a mediator of sorts. And she gave me good advice, but I need a night of rest if I'm to act on it effectively. So, that's what I'll do."

Al chuckled, "With the amount of irritation this person gives you, why not clean this girl's clock and be done with it? Sometimes, the only way to get across to someone is to literally beat your meaning into them. It's sad and an unfortunate fact of life, but sometimes it's the case. Make your stand, and this person will shut up. It's that simple. Because to quote Mike Tyson, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

Aelita looked at him, "Why are you so quick to resort to violence?"

Al looked at her, "With respect to you, Stone, why are you so latent? You don't like conflict; is that it?" 

"No, but I don't believe my problem would be resolved by cleaning her clock, as you say." 

"If you don't address it on some level, this person will walk _all _over you. That's reality. I've seen it too many times. Give someone leeway to do something, and as the expression goes, give someone an inch, and they'll take a foot. Nip this in the bud now, and you'll feel better later. Be it diplomatic or not, do something about it. Otherwise, you'll have no one to blame for your own discontent and irritation than your own self." Al resumed his eating.

Aelita looked at him and then said, thinking aloud, "A good night's sleep is all I need." 

Al looked at Aelita seeing wear in her eyes, "Hey, what's her name, maybe I can be of some help?"

Aelita looked at him, "And what would you do? I already can tell by your knee-jerk reaction diplomacy isn't your strong suit. Besides, did you ever consider approaching her on my behalf would, in reality, be seen as a form of weakness by her?"

"Frankly, Aelita, I don't give a damn about her perceptions of me or how this situation is perceived by her. All this really amounts to is you have peace of mind. Besides, there are other ways to ensure cooperation without resorting to violence. I am not ignorant to that. However, I propose violence as, for me, that often works quickest, and the sheer shock value is all the more effective when it is seen as a thunderbolt from a clear sky." 

"If I don't feel better about this by tomorrow morning, I'll consider asking you. Her name is Jacqueline Gray." Aelita said.

Al nodded, "Alright then. Well, I'll await your decision in the morning. As for me, I'm finished. So, I'll see you tomorrow morning, Jeremy."

Jeremy nodded, and Al got up, left his tray at the station, and headed back to the dorms. 

Jeremy put his hand on Aelita's shoulder, "Hey, it'll be alright."

Aelita nodded, "I know. It's just life."

Aelita checked her watch, and getting up said, "Amelia and I are going to switch over in twenty minutes, I'm going to go get ready."

As she left, Odd said to Jeremy, "Is her roommate really that big a pain? I've never seen Aelita this stressed."

Jeremy nodded, "You don't know the half of it."

Odd looked out after Aelita, and as he looked, he thought on the whispers and countless accusations he'd heard throughout the day in the Kadic grapevine. As he processed all of this, Odd got up and headed off.

"Where are you going? It's not like you to turn down food." Jeremy said.

Odd looked at him, "I have to take care of something. I'll see you at breakfast." Odd left and, at a quick pace, headed towards the girl's dorm. He found the door he sought and, after a deep breath, knocked at the door. 

Magali opened the door and said, "Odd, what do _you_ want?"

Odd replied, "I need to talk to you about Jacqui Gray, a few quick questions, that's all."

Magali rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, "What is it you want to know?"

"Why are you interested in her? What did she do to get your attention?"

"What did I do to get yours?" Magali asked, "Next question."

Odd looked at her, "You don't get it! The girl isn't right!"

"Oh, lessons on how a girl isn't right from the prepubescent Casanova, who is never in the wrong? Oh, that's rich! Suck rope, Odd." Magali said as she began to close the door.

"You don't know what she's capable of!" Odd exclaimed.

Magali smirked, "That's the best part, no one really does. No one knows what she's capable of, hell, who she even _is_. To me, that's the best part. It's the fact I will be able to see this person as they are. Why? Because I can read people too, Odd. I can read that all the girl needs is someone to listen to her and show they care—potentially more." 

Odd looked at her, "Why are you doing this? Why are you being so nice to someone who is actively treating my cousin like shit?! Who actively has her on the cusp of a nervous breakdown?"

Magali's eyes burned intensely, and she approached Odd standing no more than an inch from him, "Because maybe, just maybe she was nice to me. Did you ever think about that? Maybe, she took the time and saw in me potential, saw my views as interesting, and equally someone she could intellectually stand among equals with. As for your cousin's state, not everything is black and white. In the realm of these kinds of things, it rarely is. The blame goes both ways, Odd in matters of these accusations. You'd do well to remember that. Now, if you are quite finished, I would like to get some sleep."

Magali turned and headed back to her door, and Odd said, "Be careful, Magali."

Magali looked at him, "You are the very last person I'd stoop to take advice from on what or who to be careful of." She closed the door, and Odd heard the click of the lock, he knew his time was done. 

Back the next hall over, Amelia and Aelita met each other in the hall, "I didn't see Jacqui yet. She'll likely be in later."

Amelia nodded, "Here." She handed her an unopened package of earplugs, "Believe me, you'll need them."

Aelita took them and asked, "Anything weird I should be wary of?"

Amelia shrugged and said, "Hopefully, you're a heavy sleeper. At any rate, if you wake up at 11 or half-past, put those in. Claire has a habit of stimulation during that hour when I was unfortunate enough to be awake. Thus, half the reason I gave you the earplugs. Unless you're gay, which I know you're not, who wants to hear that? Let alone from a bunkmate?"

Aelita grimaced and said, "Point taken. So, do we switch back after breakfast?"

"Ideally, yes. If you want another night off after tonight, I'd have no issue, just saying."

Aelita nodded, "I appreciate it. I really do."

Amelia nodded, "Well, happy dreams."

Aelita nodded and headed to Claire's room.

Amelia entered the room, and she saw Jacqueline silently writing in a notebook. Amelia put her nightclothes on the bed and sat down. 

"You know why I'm here, don't you?" Amelia asked.

Jacqueline glanced at her and back at her notebook, "I know. Don't particularly care, but I know."

"Well, you should. I do not know what you've been doing to Pinkie, but that shit stops with me. So being a psychoanalyst, all your double-meanings, all that, it's done. Are we clear?"

Jacqueline looked at her and then back to her notebook and continued to write.

"Hey!" Amelia's voice became far more pronounced. Jacqueline looked up, an expression of irritation of her face, "Don't' fucking stare at me with the Mengele Lamps. Are we clear? Yes, or no?"

Jacqueline looked at her and replied, "Crystal. Now, are you quite finished waking the dorms? I'd like to get back to my notes, thank you."

Amelia got up, took the notebook from Jacqueline's hands, sat on her bed, and began to read. However, what she read, made no sense to her. 

Amelia looked at it and said, "Are you a creative writer or something?"

Jacqueline looked at her, "I'm an author of sorts, my notebook, please." 

"Hold on a minute!" Amelia barked as she read the notebook further, "What the hell is this?"

Amelia read the following.

_Directorate of Civil Mobilization: Towns designated as unincorporated are to be bought up, citing lack of economic infrastructure. Ideally, an excellent breeding ground for communal thought and rebirth of a self-sufficient industrial sector. Ideally, a solid staging ground for many social projects from elementary to advanced phases. _

_Consolidate efforts for energy productions in Energy Sanction: K. The natural winds of the area are more than ideal for our own private production and the good of the overall region, indeed stemming into the nation of the United States at large. Propose leases to the farmers for sectors of land. We must accept the down-payments as a necessary pain for the good of the commonwealth. In time, the energy that we produce and sublet will have suitably paid for itself. _

_Nature is our constant. The development of gradual power storage cells would be more than ideal. The power storage cells, once developed, would be sold to nations with an already weak power grid. The cells would be sold in exchange for resources that are in abundance for the region. However, we must remember our customers, there will be a fifty-percent savings discount every ten years of service.  
_

As Amelia read, she looked up at Jacqueline, "What is this? Some economic plan?"

"Economic plan, societal structure overhaul, utilitarian argument, take your pick." Jacqueline replied, "Now if you would be so kind, my notebook." 

Amelia hesitated and then gave back the notebook, "Pinkie's right, you are a strange bird."

Jacque laughed a bit, "Of course she'd say that she lacks vision. See, there're two people in the world—one who sees injustice, untapped potential, unintentional wastage, and does nothing about it. Then some see nothing but opportunity and potential from injustice, untapped potential, and wastage. I think of myself as the latter. Now, I'm going to bed, I have a busy day tomorrow, I suggest you do the same."

Amelia shook her head, and she got up to turn off the light, "Oh, I know your plans. Talking with Magali. Everyone knows that. As you should know, word travels fast in this school." Amelia got changed into her nightclothes and lay down on the bed. 

"It doesn't matter that word travels fast, it matters what those words say. Besides, trifling high-school rumors are no more than drivel. For what do lions care for the opinion of the sheep?"

Amelia looked over at the shadow-encased girl, "You really have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"

"I know who I am, I know what this world is and what if offers. Subsequently, I know my worth in addition to the world we live in is more than harsh—which is more than can be said for a lot of our fellow students. Now, may I sleep?"

Amelia nodded, "Sure." She turned on her side and closed her eyes, but her thoughts as she drifted off to sleep were: "_I can see where Pinkie gets fed up. Does it justify her looking like she's about to have a stroke? No. But, I know there's more to this. Something's going on here, and someone is either lying or not telling me enough. Either way, at the end of the day, this girl is who she is. There's no changing her. But for goodness sake, what is transpiring in so short a time that is making Pinkie go kinda' crazy?" _

"Amelia, dear, could you do me a favor?" Jacqui asked.

Amelia looked across the room, "Firstly, I am not an Amelia, dear. Secondly, What?"

"Don't worry so much. Aelita's pissed and is more or less neurotic because Jeremy's nervous around me, that's it. It's a lot like Rasputin with the Czarina. A lot of the cause for Alexi being healed was because Rasputin calmed the boy in private. The Czarina was already overly anxious about the boy anyway, it makes sense she was his mother. However, Rasputin being aware of this, asked her to leave during healing sessions. A frantic mother leads to a frantic child, the child's heartbeat is faster as a result, and the hemophilia incidents become worse. Negate the panic and replace it with calm, and that is how the attacks were greatly lessened in impact. The moral of the story is that I shall leave Belpois alone. He is the panicked Czarina. It's natural. He's never had anyone challenge him, which is sad, but it's what it is."

"Oh, and you're not to blame in some way?" Amelia asked, "Pinkie's a good person, pretty collected. Your weakness is you just have screws loose. I don't know what happened, maybe your dad screwed you when you were younger, but it doesn't justify you being a bitch to people."

"Sweet words from one who kicked a so-called friend so hard her stomach hemorrhaged. So, do you want to be the pot or kettle? I've said my piece. Goodnight."

Amelia was about to speak when she realized it was a moot point. Even so, believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear. Did she believe this account? No. But in this framework, it made a bit more sense. Amelia exhaled and went to sleep. 

Across the room, Jacqueline lay quietly, her eyes looking mournfully at the wall. Inside she thought, "_Don't you understand? I've only wanted to help you. Maybe it was a mistake deciding to walk around outside. Is it my fault they are so fragile? Am I…am I too cold? What is the problem here? I don't understand. I don't—for the first time in my life, I don't know." _

The voice resounded in her mind, not harsh and stern as before, but this time soft and gentle, "_Remember, they are normal. Remember that. They have seen, and they haven't. Be patient with them, as I am so now with you. To you, your views make sense, but not to the everyday person. Rest now. Rest, and we will continue tomorrow."  
_


	50. Chapter 50

_**AN: Hello, everyone. This chapter took some time to write admittedly. I took a day off, and then that turned into two days of genuine laziness. It is not all an excuse, but I was also at a point where I didn't know how quite to proceed. Honestly, it was thanks to God, though that after a while of researching, chewing the lessons over, I found the value of genuinely taking my time writing these chapters. The good news is now I feel I am back on track. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and leave a review. I much appreciate all of you, and I will see you next time. —Pagliacci-11  
**_

Chapter 50

Jacqueline awoke from a dreamless sleep. It was five in the morning, and the distant rumbling of thunder served as the heralds of a powerful incoming storm. It would be nice honestly, to see and feel the rain again. Jacqueline looked over at Amelia, she was sleeping very soundly and peacefully as well. Jacqueline got up and stood over Amelia, silently contemplating the sleeping girl's face.

"_Ideally, this is what the face should be like_," Jacqueline thought to herself, "_devoid of pain, fear, worry, or doubt. Devoid of all these things should the final countenance be with peace being the last expression of their beloved the mourning see."_

Jacqueline silently left the dorm, gently closing the door behind her. Jacqueline walked the hall of the dorm. Jaqueline approached Claire's dorm and pressing her ear to the door, she heard nothing of note. Gently easing the handle, Jacqueline felt the resistance of the lock. She smiled to herself as in many ways, she anticipated this result. Not today, then. Well, that was more than fine.

Jacqueline walked away from the door to the infirmary, and as she did, she tapped into her implant, "Terry, you there? Come in." 

"_Hey, little lady. How are you?" _Terry asked.

"I hope I didn't wake you up, I know it's a bit early."

"_Nah, I usually get up around this time anyway. Everyone else is asleep, so I'm just talking to you via implant and not so much aloud. Tell me, is there any kind of delay with this method? I can never really tell." _

"No, the only delay is when you overthink it. It's designed that way to essentially project your voice mentally in real-time. I mean, think of it as thought projection but on a very secure network. It's as close to telepathy as we're going to get this side of Heaven. Anyway, I've had time to consider quite a few things as of late. Believe me, being a teenager isn't nearly the hoot and a half people claim it to be."

Terry chuckled, "_Mileage may vary on that statement, but I think it'd be more enjoyable if you had legitimate access to a lot of the things kids take for granted. Anyway, what's on your mind, Sylvie?" _

"I had a lot of time to consider my overall approach to the design of our forces. And while I was very much tempted to utilize the Nietzche method, well, it didn't seem practical here. As far as I can see, the main drawbacks are the massive energy requirements to maintain society and the army at large. While I could focus on energy and production initiatives to cut associated costs, the armed forces would be underprepared compared to our enemy during that time." 

"_I think I see. So really, you've been overhauling a lot of the prior strategies. Okay, so all this in mind, what's your plan?" _

"Before I answer, I have a question, does Yolanda have an axe to grind with me? I kind of feel she does, and I know she's on the side of the project, but I feel she really just wants to beat the shit out of me." 

"_I talked to her as did the rest of the team. Sylvie, remember she has her reasons for her resentments; as a matter of fact, ninety percent of the team has reasons for discontent. However, Yolanda is as open to working with us as she has ever been.  
_

_Whenever you approach her, you will have to sit down and answer her questions. Because there are answers that she wants that only you can give. So, I am not saying you don't have a right to be skeptical of her, but the street goes both ways. Yolanda feels slighted for various reasons, and she has a lot she genuinely wants to ask you. What I'd advise is, going in, keep your mouth shut and let her do the talking and only when you can tell she wants to hear you, then you talk." _

"I understand. Alright, I'll talk to you later. I have to talk with Yolanda, in all reality, I need her brain to get this to work." 

"_Very well, I'll talk to you soon." _

Jacqueline arrived at the infirmary door, and once Jacqueline had taken a breath, she knocked. 

Yolanda's voice came from inside, "Come in."

Jacqueline entered the infirmary, and Yolanda looked over at her, "Jacqui, how can I help you?" Her tone was even, not menacing so Jacqueline was slightly at ease.

Jacqui sat down, "How long is it until the infirmary opens?" she asked.

Yolanda checked the clock, "About two hours. Do you need anything?" 

"Yeah, we need to discuss a few things before I proceed. Um—" Jacqueline slowly chewed over her words, "look, I know things haven't exactly been the best with you and me, and honestly possibly quite a few others—but what I want to know is, what grievance do you actually have with me? Do you not trust me? Do you have a vendetta for some unknown reason, what is it?" 

Yolanda looked at her, and she closed her eyes for a moment. For the first time in her life, Jacqueline was viably nervous; however, she held her cool and remembered Terry's words to keep quiet and listen. 

Yolanda finished thinking, and her eyes opened. She said, "My grievance with you is for a long time, and very likely still, you took someone from me. I gave you specifics on how to keep him alive, how to even negate his death in the field of battle. You killed him anyway. You had all this knowledge: His unit, number, fucking rifle, and tattoos still did nothing._ That_ is my resentment. I begged you, pleading with you, and what does the report say, "Death in the fog of battle." Do you really think I buy that? That for all your connectivity to the programs, your skill, your resources, you couldn't save one man if you chose to?" 

Jacqueline was quiet as she processed this and remained so until she said, "Go on."

Yolanda shook her head, "Go on? That's really it. Because it raises a valid question, how many? Just answer that, how many loved ones have been sacrificed in the name of the North-Gate vision?"

Jaqueline looked at Yolanda and exhaled, "I'll answer your question with another question, do you think I find genuine joy in the deaths of those in the battles against us? Sure, you warned me, and to you, in theory, I should be able to spare one man. However, the truth is much harder to face, Ms. Klinger, the fact that it doesn't matter how well you plan, you can't prepare for reality. Did I want to kill your man, did I set out to do so? No!

However, that's the reality of war. You don't know who is going to win, lose, win, or die. That's just a fact of life. You can condemn me all you want, but you were never on the field to make those hard decisions because you _chose _not to be on the field! A lot of your work you've done great at, true or false, was derived from what you saw as the evil necessity of war? The sad truth, I know you felt no remorse for what had to be done, up until the time it literally hit you where you lived. I know you have your reasons, more than likely justifiably so—but despite how I do have power, there are some aspects beyond my control. " 

Yolanda looked at Jacqui, tears in her eyes, "But, Sylvia, there was a chance!"

Jacqueline looked at Yolanda and replied, "My dear friend, while there was a chance—it was an infinitesimal one. When all is weighed in the balance—he would have died anyway. Even if I had acted by the Kor'sia doctrine, I know it would not have been what you wanted. Do you understand?" 

Yolanda looked at Jacqui, and reluctantly nodded. Jacqueline, seeing the pain in Yolanda's eyes, knew the truth, knew the pain. Words were not needed; Jacqueline truly understood having been there herself so many years ago. 

Jacqueline silently stood, and after a moment said, "I'll take my leave." Jacqueline went to the infirmary door, and looking back at Yolanda said, "I'm sorry."

Yolanda looked at her and nodded before turning back to her desk. Jacqueline went out and closed the door. Thirty seconds later, she heard a wailing sob from within the infirmary. Jacqueline looked back to the door, gently placing her fingers on the red cross, "I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm so sorry." She said softly as she turned and began to walk down the hall alone.

Jacqueline headed out of the building out into the courtyard and sat on the central bench there. Alone, where she wouldn't be disturbed, Jacqueline tapped into the North-Gate operational file. After going through the various societal and military doctrines, she looked at all manner of operations and societal doctrines which she'd implemented since North-Gate was started so many years ago. However, she was now looking at the accurate progress reports for the project overall. What Jacqueline saw confirmed her suspicions. All the work she had done had culminated in the desired verdict on what was the most cost-efficient way to achieve the North-Gate vision but the societal structure and military mindset to achieve the ultimate goal. 

As soon as Jacqueline had finished with her assessment, she accessed the North-Gate operations board. She saw several aspects were in play, and a few projects were on standby. Accessing the standby projects, Jacqueline saw a variety of elements that would be more than ideal for sustaining the army. However, the trade-off was that many of these projects, even though many aspects of research and development had been finished, couldn't be applied to the army as a whole. As Jacqueline looked further into several excellent ideas in the standby file, the production of many of these projects would be prohibitively difficult. Combing over the projects, she saw that while production was a significant factor of complication, that was primarily it. The energy demands were far from restrictive. Manufacturing was the only major issue. 

Jacqueline tapped into her implant's contact list, "Terry, come in."

"_Hello again. How did the talk with Londie go?" _

"It's what it was. Terry, the standby projects—I more than understand that production is a major issue for us. However, a genuine question I have is, do we have the resources to make the standby projects true viable deployable elements?" 

"_In all reality, we do. The drawback is because of the rarity of some of the necessary components. In addition to some of the labor-intense aspects of production, we would not be able to make them nearly as much on a massive scale to apply to the whole army._"

"Nor should we. I thought about it, and after looking over a lot of the projects, they are some amazing work. The raw truth is I'd hate for _any_ of this to go to waste. What I will do is I will commence a salvage of our lesser elements of infrastructure to provide what is needed. Once the stand-bys are active, we will use what we can produce from those projects to strictly apply to a select number of actual elite units. Every other unit we produce will be literal stock default models. That way, we minimize a lot of the strain on production, and we can have truly unique units that yes may look the same but will have some potent additions under the hood." 

_"I more than understand. Alright, we can do that. What you prefer to focus on first?"  
_

"Use what production resources we have at our disposal. I'll commence the assimilation of lesser elements of the project into the production resource stockpile. However, as you use the resources we have, focus first on Yolanda's nanite injectors. While the pills we have are very nice, making them again is difficult. If we can sufficiently integrate Yolanda's nanite formula into a default production for the supercomputer, we can have an unending strain. Additionally, due to the very size and innate programming of the nanites, we can produce them in sufficient batches to be replaced only as needed."

"_Alright, that's good. What about the aspect of the army itself? What about those functions?"_

"I had time to think about that as well. We have the raw production units, which we can salvage the Nietzsche doctrine. However, from the grand scale of the army at large, all heavy assault vehicles such as tanks will be autonomously focused, but it will not be autonomous in the traditional sense. We will calibrate those units to operate under the commanding officer's command in charge of the specified units. Those units, while autonomous, will be tied directly to the commander, and should the commander go rogue, the command code will be cut and restored to North-Gate by default. But for most of our soldiers, half will be repurposed from the Nietzsche doctrine, the other half will be recruited from the star soldiers of the colonial militia, and reserves trained from the communes after we instate conscription. However, do not call it conscription just term it as home-defense training. In all reality, I feel this is the best way and most cost-efficient."

There was a moment of silence, and Terry replied, "_Very well. You put this much thought into the armies, what about counter-intelligence since that is your bread and butter?" _

Jacqueline replied, "We're going to reinstate Eternal Vigilance. Once the safe house is set up, put Yolanda in charge of the infirmary there. It will more sufficiently provide her something more in the vein of her traditional training until the field hospital is completed. Besides, it'll be good for a lot of us. Once Vigilance is online, that will, without doubt, cause a few heads to turn. But that also depends on the decided level of impact we have out of the gate.

However, we need to wake up our external agents, so we have a fighting force. Therefore, Enrique, Emilio, and Frankie will go to Budapest, Vladivostok, and Geneva. You will go to our Parisian and Roman branches Kaori will be sent to Kyoto and Tokyo to wake our assets there. Maria will go to Norway and Sweden. Once the agents are active, we will continue their presence in the civilian sector until Vigilance is off the ground." 

"_Alright, Vigilance is a go then. I'll let everyone know. What about our more local agents?"_

"Leave them for right now. When the time comes, I'll take care of the local units. Once they are active, there will be a spring cleaning." 

"_Okay, then. We'll get packed. Oh, a bit of news. I've been scanning various communique in the radio feeds, and telecommunications feeds. We've also a few files from our externals to verify this. We might have a problem. Apparently, there are whispers of a program that's already in third-tier development called Labyrinth. From what I can tell, it's a civil policing trial and intelligence extension program of INTERPOL." _

"Not surprising. After the use of the countermeasure, we may have expedited the elements of the powers that be. Did this traffic pick up in a spike, or has there been a gradual increase?" 

"_A spike in the past forty-eight hours."_

"I see. Forward the data to North-Gate's search engine, and I'll tailor a search while you all are away. Once the results come through, we'll take care of the guts of this thing. Also, by the way, how is our financial overseer doing?"

Terry chuckled, "_Kubric is doing fine. We had to give her a set of new identities and move her to Beijing. Since then, she's been replaced with Hitchcock, who is a bit better at this job honestly. Kubric, however, is more than doing her end in China despite being under intense scrutiny from the bureau. Which makes sense due to her need for access to the legitimate raw materials. So, we move her around, substation to substation. The test run for us was to cook up a domestic dispute for Londie to change her name after her old alias got too hot and was compromised in Switzerland. It is nothing for a lot of our other agents by extension." _

Jacqueline chuckled, "Of course not. Well, alright, we have our heading. I'm going to go get some breakfast. I'd advise you do the same Terry, you sound a bit under the weather."

"_Ah, it's nothing. It's just a cold. I'm down here keeping watch over stuff a lot of the time. I'm not in the sun as much as I was before because of what's needed here."_

"Hey, American Dracula, I love you, but a lot of North-Gate is calibrated to self-maintain, you know that, right?" 

"_Wait, are you serious?! I didn't have to be down here this whole time?"_

"I honestly thought you knew." Jacqueline replied, "Considering how much time you spend with the thing."

Terry laughed, "_Honestly, I've always known. But considering the location of the primary node and how the summer here is horrid, it's better to be in the bowels of the earth where it's cold than be sweating like hell up above and even when you shower, an hour later you're back in the shower."  
_

"Fair point, I suppose. Well, off to breakfast. Talk to you soon."

"_Oh, Sylvie, quick question."_

"Yes?"

"_Activating our agents, are they battle-ready?"_

"All of them are conditioned to become aggressive. But that's not exactly for you to worry about. When you each meet with your respective assets, let me know, and I will administer the key-phrase." 

"_Excellent, thank you. That's all I needed to know." _

"Great, see you later."

Jacqueline placed her implant on standby and headed towards the cafeteria. It was around the time breakfast would be served, and she headed inside to the cafeteria where Rosa was preparing the last fixings. 

"Ah, usually, it's Odd who comes in this early." Rosa said, "Come in, come in, grab a tray." 

Jacqueline took a tray and put strudel, orange slices, a cup for coffee, and a small box of cereal. She then proceeded to sit down at one of the tables farther back. She looked around the cafeteria, a minimal affair. Due to the overall construction, she could easily see how XANA could turn the place into a perpetual human-oriented bug zapper. Smiling to herself, Jacqueline, she began to eat her food, and as she ate weighed all manner of variables in her mind. Even as she did so, she remembered the wise words of her father's friend, "_You can have contingency plan on top of contingency plan. Reality is a whole other beast. It's the submission that you don't know everything and __**can't**__ know everything that true learning can begin." _

Jacqueline nodded as she reminded herself of this. This whole endeavor had been one massive process. So very far had she and the entire group come that Jacqueline would not dare think of herself or the others as foolish. In a way, the group served as a bizarre family, and it was this aspect that they put up with each other that allowed them to survive. They all had their setbacks; they all had their motivations, and all of them, Jacqueline included, knew they were human beings at the end of the day. That didn't excuse an error, but it could be reasoned as an occasional allowance for error, thus the term. In Jacqueline's eyes, this family was all she had left, and she knew it was a need for respect for all parties that was the desired currency. Honesty played its part as well; she would not dare delude herself that it didn't. But respect and value played its role just as well. 

Considering how Eternal Vigilance was formed, birthed from the melody of errors, abuse, disregard, and covert elitism of various intelligence agencies back home, it was a perfect argument for Jacqueline regarding respect and value which served as Vigilance's core doctrine, even its namesake. That said, all knew in North-Gate that loss was sadly expected. "_Much like Yolanda,"_ Jacqueline rationalized, "_you don't have to like the element of loss, hell, no one has to. But it was part of the acceptable risk. She knows it, I know it, we all do. But it does not make reality easy. I know that now. I'd very much hate for Londie to go the way of Indigo."_

Indigo...it had been a long time since Jacqueline had thought on that name and the woman she always associated with it. Indigo was Jacqueline's number one in the early phases of the North-Gate endeavor. Indigo was brilliant, energetic, and the fastest and most accurate trigger-woman of the group. But sadly, Indigo was the very first hard lesson to swallow for Jacqueline. Jacqueline had pushed her far too hard. Because Indigo had talent in what she did, she was continually deployed on the retrieval missions and assassination mission. Because Indigo had been pushed too hard, because she'd suffered a lot in the combat field, having been at death's door on a multitude of occasions, was it any surprise the woman came down with a case of catastrophic depression? No, it was not, Jacqueline knew that even then.

It was perhaps her hardest lesson that she felt not only personally responsible for but that the rest of North-Gate, even Terry, held her in derision for. But Jacqueline made the merciful choice. Rather than make the mistakes of the past and give Indigo a basic counseling pep-talk, and risk a mental breakdown in the field, she called in the specialist for one-thousand dollars. Once Indigo had been genuinely diagnosed, Jacqueline decided to let her go. It was in Jacqueline's mind the merciful and right thing to do. Jacqueline was not heartless, she did what she felt she had to.

After Indigo, Jacqueline reevaluated her protocols, her treatment of her family and her agents, and decided to follow the mantra to not work harder but smarter. Every agent was given because of Indigo, an alternating schedule of field duty and office details. After so long in the field, an agent or even one of her family would be assigned an important aspect of production or research. This turn-around helped endear her to the family a bit more than had she done nothing. 

Then came Jacqueline's own lesson in loss, that she knew she would one day tell Yolanda. It was also the death that allowed her to understand Aelita and the Lyoko's warriors in returning to the past. The lesson came in the form of her father's old friend, Duke. Duke was an older gentleman, an accountant from China, when her father had approached him. However, Duke was also a masterful tactician and economics expert. Because he knew the ins and outs of the Chinese production system of politics and the economics tied to it, Duke laid the groundwork for a lot of elements of North-Gate's financial endeavors in the Chinese sectors. It was owed to Duke that North-Gate had the likes of Kubric and Hitchcock in their positions and could move within the country with relative ease.

This was Duke, the businessman. But Duke the man was the kindest, funniest old man Jacqueline had met. Oh, the countless times he'd made Jacqueline laugh when things seemed hopeless. The times where he would debate Terry with great enthusiasm the value of various angles of shooting film to add desired implication rather than explicit statements. The best times were when Duke made his famous jambalaya on those horrid cold nights in Norway or Russia. The jambalaya that was so rich and yet not so thick you wouldn't be able to enjoy the flavors: hand-picked fresh spices both sweet and hot, chopped onions, crisp celery, beef rib bones for thickness, a blend of pork sausage and chicken chunks and a precious few drops of bourbon for an additional kick.

What Jacqueline remembered most fondly of the jambalaya nights was a feeling of genuinely feeling like a family. A wonderful dinner that the smell alone would signal the start of decompression of the group from the day of work. In many ways, food in general for many of the North-Gate team be they family or agents, it was the unspoken law. As soon as the food was smelled to cook, all manner of work stopped. Your workday as finished and, in all regards, that smell served as the one agreed on indicator of time. Lunch was not as big a production; neither was it meant to be. But dinner was very much. It was the heralding of fun, enjoyment, and relaxation for all in the project. 

But, as Jacquline learned, all things, even though good, cannot last forever. Considering what happened with Indigo prior, Duke had seen his allowed share of combat for the bi-monthly rotation period and was on real-estate evaluation detail for future safe-houses to move headquarters if compromised. However, around that same time, North-Gate was compromised by what Jacqueline knew was her mother's dealings with INTERPOL, and Mossad and the safehouse Duke was working at was targeted. There were two other agents with Duke named Gardella and Hammersmith. Because of the force that was used by the agencies so swiftly, they had to fight their way out. They'd held out for fifteen minutes before calling evac. Duke had taken down one of the specialist soldiers from the local militia with a shot to the head while Hammersmith and Gardella had eliminated one of the Mossad agents.

In time, evac arrived, and Hammersmith and Gardella made it out, but INTERPOL agents along the with militia flanked Duke, and he was gunned down mercilessly with machine-gun and pistol fire. Jacqueline remembered the security feed. Duke fell to his knees, his body riddled with holes, but with his last breath, he cried, "I regret nothing!" 

Duke's death was the one that had hit Jacqueline the most. He was always kind to her. Even with the aspect of indigo, Duke was more merciful than the others, than even Terry. Duke didn't placate Jacqueline, but it was thanks to him that Jacqueline could evaluate and consider combat fatigue and the like, resulting in giving the rotation schedule. In Duke, Jacqueline realized with his death, she had lost the one person who would at least try to see her point of view before judging her. He was fair, kind, and her friend. In many ways, she saw him as the grandfather she never had. 

To remember Duke, Jacqueline had wanted to keep jambalaya nights alive, but that was dismissed early on because Jacqueline knew it too taboo. Thus, Jacqueline decided to have jambalaya nights on his birthday, as that was also a tradition. However, this, too, fell out of vogue as the guard changed. Soon, none except Terry and herself remembered Duke and the times they had with him. 

It was not true that Jacqueline couldn't see Yolanda's pain, it's not true she didn't understand. It wasn't true that Jacqueline couldn't understand Aelita and the Lyoko Warriors. Jacqueline could easily understand the motives and reasons and all manner of why people felt as they did, how they felt as they did. But Jacqueline knew something they did not. She knew the perils of getting what you wanted, as far Yolanda was concerned, but she also knew the dangers of returning to the past to change what you wanted. Jacqueline knew the latter above all and the actual lesson therein. That's why Jacqueline chose to negate the Lyoko Warriors' direct authority of using the return to the past. 

On some level, Jacqueline knew the warriors, even Aelita likely saw it as a spiteful thing because that's precisely Jacqueline chose to make it sound. But it was not to sound arrogant, nor seem as if she were lording power over the group. But it was in many regards, to safeguard her sister and her friends from the harsh realities. The realities that many say in passing, but do not quite understand. The thing was, Jacqueline knew just how harsh the truth was and how, if shown, the Lyoko warriors couldn't handle it. The old expression ignorance is bliss more than applied here, Jacqueline knew and knowing this, she kept her mouth shut. Especially concerning the larger scale of things and yet equally, how simple the reasoning is behind the most controversial or complex actions of leaders and those in power. 

As Jacqueline thought further, she knew she had to be careful with the likes of Magali. As interested as the young woman seemed, Jacqueline knew that Magali had ulterior motives to just inviting Jacqueline to expand her social circle. However, Jacqueline was not opposed to learning from Magali. Still, Jacqueline, without doubt, felt a potent vibe from Magali, which is why she thought that it was necessary to have Yolanda on standby should something arise. But as Jacqueline remembered, ninety-seven percent of your worst fears only come true two percent of the time. Jacqueline additionally knew that usually that two percent comes one percent from understanding the situation and doing nothing and the other one percent being raw chance, well, why risk it? 

Reflecting on Aelita's aspect of her first meetings with their mother, Jacqueline had to admire Aelita's thoroughness in forethought. Aelita kept the venue as public as possible to avoid any issues. The same could be easily issued for Magali. The whole premise of meeting in Magali's room also raised an uncomfortable red flag for Jacqueline. The problem with just that element was something Aelita addressed, witnesses. In a room, let alone someone's dorm room, you quickly have an issue of he said, she said arising. If that were to happen, Jean-Pierre would be "forced to consider action for the well-being of the student body." 

It was a term he would gladly use; Jacqueline knew it because it was one of his favorite excuses. Additionally, because action on those grounds was so seldomly used, it would not be out of the realm of reason to use it, and it would be justified because Jean-Pierre to his credit never abused power so much. What he acted on was the realm of justified punishment in the eyes of the public. This mindfulness of mob rule mixed with social mores being on his side made him inherently dangerous but equally a viable asset.

However, given context as to their current situation, Jacqueline deduced that Delmas didn't care for her anyway. He was more than happy eating food from North-Gate's hand but to do as he was told having the literal big boss on campus—not so much. It was the Hawthorne Effect in that Jacqueline knew Delmas would change his behavior under observation. That's why if she got into trouble, Jacqueline knew Delmas would act for the benefit of the student body while equally getting her out under his roof, all of which would be justified in the eyes in the name of the school's reputation and upholding societal law.

Jacqueline chuckled to herself and said under her breath, "The moral of the story is you know the dangers inherent with this fiery red-head so, don't give her enough rope to hang you with. Equally, do not give Delmas his rope either. He wants you out, so what you do, play his game, hang him with technicalities. Even if it doesn't work, so be it. That's why there's always a contingency plan if Commodus goes a bit too far. Even so, that'd be a whole mess. It would mean restructuring, paying for a funeral that could be avoided, taking care of his brat kid—it's a waste of resources flying off the handle. Play the man's game while achieving my own ends. Simple as that."

Jacqueline got up, and after hanging in her tray and silverware at the wash-station, she headed towards the recreation room. No one was inside, but this was hardly a surprise given the time of day. Still, the one thing Jacqueline was thankful for as far as the rec room was concerned was that it was always cool, which negated a majority of the drawbacks of the rec-room, namely the awful smell inherent of unwashed pre-teens and teenagers. Jacqueline sat down on one of the beanbag chairs in the far corner just out of the light cast by one of the windows. Jacqueline groaned with a touch of satisfaction as she looked over the rec room. It was beautiful and quiet, at least for now. The gentle blowing of the AC was the only sound that permeated the silence. 

In many ways, Jacqueline loved this, this area reminded her of the soothing cold of the sarcophagus as she termed it of the North-Gate integration system. Sure, Jacqueline very much hated it at first, but over time, she came to savor the cold of the coffin-like interface. Jacqueline wasn't sure why she liked the cold. If she had to pick a reason, she'd say that it symbolized either the signal of her escape from the world around her or a return to control over aspects most felt powerless over. Either way, neither reason was terrible. In her eyes, it was far better than remembering being forcibly integrated into North-Gate.

At that moment, the door opened, and Jacqueline opened her eyes slowly, seeing Elisabeth and Nicholas enter.

"Look, I don't care how you exactly see it. I know something is up with that girl. I just don't trust what's going on."

Nicholas replied, "But, Sissi, your father said he talked to her, and there's nothing to be worried about. Why press something that's a done deal?" 

Elisabeth turned and looked at him, "Look, you need to understand something. Not everything is as it seems around here. It's like when crazy Yolanda went crazy and took off with Aelita. I am not crazy; don't you get it!? Everyone treats me like I am, I _am not!" _

Jacqueline arched her eyebrow as she listened to this, and she heard Nicholas retort, "I'm not saying you're crazy, Sissi. But look at it from everyone else's view of things. Can you not see how some would call it strange with your claims? I mean our Nurse Yolanda doing as you said she did? I don't discount you—but do you see where people kind of would?"

"Since when did you swallow a dictionary?" Sissi asked, crossing her arms, "What, since Herb left, just now, you decided to get smart?" 

Nicholas's eyes narrowed, "Can you blame him? He realized you would not return his feelings being all lovelorn over Ulrich. So, to quote him, 'I'm leaving for greener pastures.' Funnily, for the first time, you held _him _back, not the other way around as you've framed it for years."

"Oh, and what does that make you, blockhead?" Sissi retorted, "You got left for much the same reason, same as me."

"I may be left the same as you, but I assure you, I am not left for the same reason. Herb is going to a place that allows him to embrace his skills. The sad truth, Sissi, was that Herb was forced to water-down his skills and views to stay around you. To him, it was a necessary sacrifice at the time. It was out of consideration of what I can only call misguided affections for you and my friendship for him that I kept my mouth shut. Now for the fact he no longer cares for you, I don't have to hold back who I am anymore. I stick around for the sake of your social appearance to the rest of the students. To keep your ego and reputation, small as the latter is relatively intact."

Sissi looked shocked, "Oh, so you stay with me because of my appearance to the students? Without me, you're nothing!"

"Tell me, Sissi, If I'm truly nothing, tell me why aren't you hanging out as much with Jeremy, Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Aelita? You dismissed Herb and I as losers in front of everyone just a few weeks ago, but hey, look who's still outside the so-called circle." 

Sissi's eyes burned with anger, and she yelled, "Nicholas, you watch yourself!"

Nicholas smiled at her, "Or what? Look, don't get mad at me, I'm just stating the facts as they are. I don't leave you to the scrutiny of the Kadic mob on your own, you have the muscle to do what is sufficient until I leave after next year. So, you can have it either way. Your reputation stays intact, and we have a treatment of respect, or I leave you to be eaten by the mob. Because you know as I do how Milly and Tamia love a good scoop. It will boost the circulation of their paper, that's for sure." 

Sissi locked eyes with him, and suddenly both heard a prolonged squeal, and both looked in the direction of the sound, seeing the door of the rec room being eased open by the wind stifling wind outside. 

Nicholas looked surprised, "Huh, I swore I closed the door, solidly when we came in." 


	51. Chapter 51

_**AN: This chapter came after consideration of what had been written, my feedback, and want to have a touch of levity and progress at the same time. This chapter was admittedly not easy to write. It came after a while of just wrestling with a few things and eventually getting out of my own way and doing what God provided me with regarding overall plot material. I'm happy how this turned out in many ways, and I thank all of you for your support and viewership. You all mean very much to me, and I thank you for your steadfast reading. As always, read, review, and enjoy. See you next time—Pagliacci-11  
**_

Chapter 51

The storm had broken. Massive peals of thunder resounded throughout the sky, accompanied by blinding flashes of lightning. The rain poured solidly, even one who traditionally would enjoy a rainy day would hurriedly find a place to keep dry until the storm had passed. Within his office, a middle-aged man sat in his chair, looking out over the city. As he watched the people scurrying into buildings to stay dry, the cabs moving in a very expedient fashion, he saw not people or cars, he saw money. Raw income moving in an orderly line, a bit expedited due to the weather, but he assuredly wasn't complaining. The man was raised to view life in no more than a systematic aspect of revenue income and loss, investments, and, hopefully, reconcilable accounts in most cases. 

It was no different than when he was a child. When he was fourteen, he remembered when a lot of the community was cleared out by an initiative to instate the racetrack north of the city. Now, understandably, when he was younger, he heard and indeed agreed with the pain of the displaced who didn't want to sell. But it was as his father showed him, "Never buy that someone won't budge. Every being born has their price. All it boils down to is raw patience, the patience to find out what that price is."

The sad truth, as he grew, the man knew very well how true these words of wisdom genuinely applied. Every person had their price. Some prices were so meager that he knew that those people just wanted a form of a ship to come in. A tawdry lump-sum would easily hold those people over. Typically, those in said situation wanted out of the circumstances they were in, which helped to serve as a collective, almost default method. Then there were those who saw themselves as "smooth, hard ballers" as they were known in the industry. The smooth, hard ballers deemed themselves getting a better deal due to driving a hard bargain. But, they were no more intelligent than the shippers. They just wanted a bit more of an incentive, and that was manageable.

The actual dangerous water came in the form of was termed the barnacles. These were some stubborn sellers, usually farmers, who were the real hard ballers. In such cases, many ventures would be forced to negotiate a disproportionate price for the land requested to genuinely own the full percentage of their enterprise. This was often seen as a "necessary mild to medium pain" in most situations. However, in most aspects, the barnacle could be dealt with in the form of a lease of the apportioned land if a hard sell wouldn't be reasoned. Usually, this lease served only as a temporary pain. But knowing that ventures such as the racetrack would be raking in a lot of money, the barnacles thought they could be slick and get a considerable return on the lease by asking for their portion to consist of a percentage of the earnings from the seats sold.

The owners and investors behind the track agreed to this only because they knew the money coming in would be vastly disproportionate to what was requested. Additionally, they used what they termed assurance funds to bolster support of a rival farmer in the area. These funds went towards the purchasing of high-quality high-yield seeds for crops, and so distorting a picture that the rival was getting a higher return for his investment. As a result, because the competitor had so much, he could sell for cheaper and vilify the farmer whose land the track shared a portion of as he had to jack his prices to stay afloat. As was the goal of a lot of investors, typically over a long enough period, this resulted in the leasing farmer selling tiny portions piecemeal to slowly make ends meet. It was here that the investors would repurchase their track land using desperation as their vehicle. Whatever the former leaser was selling off additionally would be acquired through the "outside investor," an off-the-books portion of the company to turn those parcels into "community gardens." These were industrial sub-farms specializing in crops particular to each farm, and from this, they would sell the produce to more local stores to buy good faith with the community. 

The man was snapped out of his reflection and musings by the buzzing of his secretary. Turning around, he pressed the button, "Yes, Emily?" he said.

"Mr. Assendorp, your ten o'clock is here." Emily's soft voice replied.

"Of course, send her in."

Assendorp got up from his chair and stood at a form of attention as the door opened.

"Ah, Dr. Stanislaw," Assendorp said, "pleased to meet you." He said as he extended his hand towards his visitor.

The visitor came forth and shook his hand firmly and gestured with the opposite hand to be silent. Assendorp nodded and sat down as did his guest opposite him.

Taking a piece of paper, Assendorp wrote with a pen, "How do you propose we do this?"

The response, "Do you know sign language?" 

He nodded, and the conversations began. Assendorp started, "So, the damage assessment is quite extensive. We have never seen that kind of firepower before, and truth be told, it has frightened some of our primary investors. We've called in someone of your talents to find the source, neutralize the operator, and acquire the weapon for our own uses." 

The response, "We have an idea where the base may be but have yet to possess conclusive proof. I have read the reports from the observer, Dr. Gupta. A powerful energy-oriented attack that equated to a massive, tailored lightning strike. We've looked around into the satellites of those in orbit, nothing unusual stands out. Everything up there is as it should be. The only noteworthy thing that was missed was that there was a unique gimmick that cut off all sight from all satellites in the area at the time of the attack. So, we have nothing to literally go on, save that it is one of the satellites in orbit." 

Assendorp nodded, "With someone like you on this investigation, I know we can do what is needed. Whatever funds you may need, we will provide you with it. Admittedly, in the wake of the attack, we are about 24.3 million down the shitter; never mind that we lost a lot of our best researchers, their talent is genuinely irreplaceable." 

"I know, and it's because of the particularity of the target that _we _know that North-Gate is the perpetrator. Also, the sad truth is we must consider we have a stranger in our house. None knew what was going on in the building except the scientists, some security staff, and one from upstairs. You know it, I know it. Sadly, we have to accept this possibility because how would they know where the supercomputer was? Even if they saw the energy readings, you must know what to look. We made the energy reading specific to Operation Resurgence to keep track of what needed to be taken care of on the ground level if needed. The energy formula to even enter a search parameter could have only come from one of three places. So, I'd advise you pass along the order to conduct an internal purge but do so discreetly if the mole suspects anything, it may go to ground, and then we'd never find it." 

Assendorp nodded, "A lot of those involved with the project know we have several business deals in Asia that have just come through. I'll actively assign the three branches under suspicion to those elements and so that they are away from the more sensitive material. That way, the investigation can suitably take its time, and we won't red-flag anyone." 

"Also, we must look over a lot of the people around the three stations' overall premises. Double-check those with the appropriate security clearance. Also, even if they are veterans of service, be it intellectual, security, or otherwise, we cannot be sure they also aren't compromised. I would advise you to pull up the track record of all suspected parties and those with high enough clearance. Once that is done, send those results to us; we will review the patterns of the targets in terms of habits and what they do, and from that, we can spot anomalies. We will also need access to the expenditure records of the suspected parties so we can do quicker number crunches and look for any unusual activity." 

Assendorp nodded, "How do you know this won't start raising the red flags from here to breakfast?"

"Because it was part of our agreement between your company, a few others, and ourselves that we would provide the appropriate financial outlets. You do your banking, company payroll, company expenses, etc. through our outlets. As your security firm and damage control, we have a license to review these records according to the explanation of corporate security and protection of intellectual properties and physical extensions. If ever some bean-counter raises an objection, make a note of it, and if they prove an issue, list them for reprocessing. Simple as that." 

Assendorp sighed as he got up, and he looked at Stanislaw and signed, "Look, I don't want any more trouble than what is necessary. I am more than willing to let you all do as you need to do to patch up the cracks in the tub, but I'd prefer a few patches to replacing the whole damn tub."

Stanislaw smirked, "Sorry, sweetheart, sometimes you have to replace the tub. Is it convenient? No, hardly ever. But you have to look at these pros as opposed to cons, okay? Not only do you get a chance to genuinely restructure, but you get a chance to change your coat of paint, and you have an assurance of greater longevity for the greater good of all. I mean, this is the proverbial Faustian bargain your father made with us. You took over the lease and rose to a point where you are a beacon of hope and prosperity to those who have no hope. You, as a consequence, have become a very wealthy man. Now, this is just part of the deal. To ensure your wealth and your visage of the herald of light and goodness, you will do as we tell you, allow us to do what we must to keep the gravy train going." 

Assendorp nodded and then sighed, "Question. I know my father had his deal, and I did as you say, 'took over the lease.' What if I want out?" 

Stanislaw looked at him, "Sadly, we eliminate such people. We used to have the policy, back in daddy's day, that if joe-schmoe knew a thing or two, we would have to content ourselves with letting him go. It wasn't so hard to label him a conspiracy theorist, discredit him in all major fields, and literally be a nobody thoroughly disgraced living on the fringe of society. Sadly, as I said, that used to be the case. But, unfortunately, love, even if that weren't the case, you don't match the criteria. You know far too much to be trusted outside, so does your wife. Your daughter doesn't care, so we'd leave her alone for a bit. But, yeah, you're not getting very far. I know you think, why couldn't we just discredit you as in days old, but we know that you can turn that to your advantage on some level, and so from that, we can't. 

So, you have a choice, obey until death for your daughter if no-one else and live happily in joy and reverence as far as the world is concerned, embracing the Edison Effect. Or die in some horrid accident, both you and your wife, darkly leave your child without those crucial in her life, especially with life taking a change for her. If you choose to do so, selfishly, I might add, how are you going to safeguard your daughter from the same bargain you were approached with, the same your father was approached with? You won't be able to. So, stay for your daughter. You have sold your soul already. Your daughter has not. And so, to counsel her to not do as you have, is that not worth living a bit longer?"

Assendorp looked at Stanislaw and signed, "Why are you talking this way?" 

"I want you to truly evaluate your options. You have come so very far, with our help, true, but you are not deprived of your merit or willingness. You have risen to be what you wanted to be. You asked so very much for a wish to be granted, to be greater to be more. To have wealth and power, you felt denied in your life. Your father made the same bargain but with the caveat that he live life to the fullest. He died a wealthy man, and yet he disinherited you because, in his troubled mind, "Why give someone something they could never fully appreciate?" Which, admittedly, is probably the greatest tragedy of your young life. 

However, you made your own wish. But tell me, Johann, what was your hope for? Yourself? Or perhaps as most parents, you wished to do better by your then-pregnant wife than your father ever did by you? For it was at that time we approached you. You weren't selfish, I know that. You were acting out of necessity and the aspect of giving something genuinely better than what you had towards the ones you loved. So, at the end of the day, I think really what you are regretting is the price that we have asked of you to keep this lifestyle. However, nothing is free. There are bad things that happen to some outstanding people every day, and it _is _sad, but like your father observed, "Who are you? The man who serves the food or the man who eats it?"

Assendorp looked at Stanislaw and asked, "Do you know what I regret most?" 

Stanislaw smiled, "You don't even need to tell me. We already know what it is. You have reached a point in your life where you have grown to regret what we call extenuating circumstances behind your power and lifestyle. What you truly regret is for all this power, the wealth, the cars, fame, that you did not earn it of your own merit. While this may be the case, additionally, it is as I have said, you know the price that comes with providing for you this life you so enjoy. You want to break free of us, to be your own man. I suppose this is not uncommon. But, it's a bit late in the game for such a yearning. Had you asked to modify the formula to give you more fulfillment, maybe it could have been done. But, my friend, it would have been no more than a glorified placebo."

Stanislaw got up slowly and looked at Assendorp, "If I were you, dear friend, I'd just enjoy the rest of the ride, and the same can be said to your family by extension. Your empire, all you have done for us, it is what it is. In time, your daughter will be faced with the same offer you and your father were given, and so, as I have said, if you sincerely regret this feeling of lack of fulfillment, then counsel your daughter to be her own self-made person. In many ways, she benefits from being a woman herself by default, believe me, it's not bad. Additionally, she has the joys of the trappings of this lifestyle to make your lesson more comfortable to learn than most. 

However, it must be said, you cannot say these things to your daughter without exposing yourself and the machinations that have provided for her all these years. The victory you desire for your daughter can be attained, but not without the sacrifice of showing her the truth. However, the truth is a tricky thing. It can either incentivize, or it can dissuade. Now, consider that your daughter, because she had benefitted much from these deals that she may not wish to listen to you. Your daughter is flippant and vain. She follows her idols and her idols are flippant and arrogant. What you want to show your daughter in all reality when weighed in the balance, ideally, is the odds of fifty-fifty. But when weighed against fact and her vanity, the odds are sixty-forty in her favor. 

So, as much as it would genuinely pain me to liquidate someone like you, I have to think about the projective future. I would hate to deprive a child of a mentor and her father. I really would, but it is something that if you insist on premature termination of our arrangement, it can be done. But bear in mind, your child will be without you, and without your council, she is doomed to the same fate as you. So, the choice is yours." 

Stanislaw turned to leave, and Assendorp reached into his pocket and pulled out his pistol, "Thing is, we don't figure things the same way. I know who you are, and I know how important you are to the powers that be. So, you will stop this, and you _will _let me and my family go free and learn to take the loss. Much like a casino, the people have to win sometime, I would have hoped you'd have learned that by now." 

Stanislaw looked at him and said, "Think. It won't do you any good to do this. I'm just the messenger. Please—don't be stupid."

Assendorp pulled back the hammer, "Call it damage assessment—for the greater good, of course."

Stanislaw nodded and replied, "Of course."

At that second, the glass shattered, and the dull semi-wooden shattering of bone was heard as blood splattered over the wall. Stanislaw smiled as she gently, "For the greater good."

Stanislaw took the pistol and, using a handkerchief, opened the third drawer of the nearby desk and gently placed it inside. 

Tapping into the wire, came the command, "This is Grasshopper. Negotiations sadly have failed. Send in the cleaner, the code is appearances. Call the flatfeet and let them do as is needed. Call Marlin back to base. Her purpose is finished here. Over."

The transmission came through, "_Order received. Cleaner on the way. Evac E.T.A. ten minutes. The transition phase, one floor down, three doors down on the left facing east. Over."_

"Excellent. Will be at E.T.A. rendezvous as scheduled. Grasshopper out."

Meanwhile, at Kadic, Odd was reading one of his favorite comic book series, _Catalyst_, having just gotten the newest installment. He was really excited about this new issue. As everything was being told, Odd felt that the plot was finally going to give the closure he wanted. 

A knock was heard at his door, "Odd, you there?" It was Aelita, and Odd replied, "Hey, come on in." 

Aelita entered, and she sat on Ulrich's bed, "Hey, how it's going?" 

Odd looked at her, "Hey, you seem in a much better mood now than yesterday."

"A break from people can do wonders for you." Aelita said with a smile, and she saw the comic, "Ah, new issue, huh?" 

"Oh yeah. This one's really good. Due to Ames, these guys are in the fight for their lives, and it's really trying to get out of a bad situation. Honestly, this is a good firefight. This issue is not so heavy on dialogue this time. Rather it's just trying to execute a plan, and it just completely to hell in a handbasket. I'll let you borrow it when I'm finished." 

Aelita nodded, "I was honestly wondering, what happened with that agent, you know the guy codenamed Spider?" 

"Oh, he's dead. But I was kinda surprised at how his story ended. Yeah, he's a one-note character, but here's the thing, this guy is a prime example of how you have a really good adaptive dark-overlord kind of villain. Spiderman's so vague in that really, he has no real backstory. But really you can see just how much Cordite is augmenting their agents and their protection based on how Catalyst is attacking them. In many ways, it's smart. Catalyst's agents rely too much on raw getting close and just shooting the agents in the head. Cordite adapted by in at least Spiderman's case giving him ballet-oriented training and giving him some top-shelf protection. And the entire firefight to just take this guy out was nuts." 

Aelita nodded, "Who're your favorite agents of all the characters we've seen?" 

"I gotta' be honest, it's hard to tell. Between Indigo's mental breakdown and the death of Duke, and the whole soup of enemy agents, I don't know. They all have some excellent, compelling stories, Aelita. In some cases, I was literally on the edge of my seat. That said, this comic does something a lot of comics don't in that they instate what can only be called permanent death. Which is realistic to the kind of genre we're dealing with."

"What about their fans?" Aelita asked, "Surely, a publication has to listen to fans at some point." 

Odd gestured with his hands in a mock scale, "Kinda-sorta. I mean, really, they listen to their fans when it comes to covering like certain spies or covering key events in the setting you kind of have to do that anyway. But that said, if you have a plot in mind to actively tell a story, I'm sorry, the fans only have as much sway as the author allows them to have. That is the truth that the fans have to accept. It's good to have fans, but the fans can be entitled jerks. I mean, look at Stephen King. Great writer, but one of my personal favorite books, _Misery_, was written in a hilarious form of protest towards his own rabid fanbase. If the author wants to do something different, be it genre difference, or plot difference, the audience has no say." 

"And so, you like this series because it keeps it not only realistic but has a good story to tell. Okay, it makes sense." 

"Well yeah, because really when you look at this comic, and you read between the lines, a lot of what you read is what boils down to just what a lot of history is. The harsh truth that, in the end, either people's greed, disdain, a want of control, or even in some cases, more control than already had, or something else can lead you to do some horrible things but feel justified in doing it. For most of the agents here, you have to consider what led them to become agents in the first place. Some of them are freelance, which is just a glorified mercenary; they may be good at a few niche skills, but you see their growth over time. Others are more like the hard-boiled agency people that, in many cases, either grew disenfranchised with their agencies or left because of simply not agreeing with your homeland's politics and policies. That is usually a lot of Catalyst's operatives and people. Cordite acts as an 'Elite extension program,' which scoops up some powerful and capable people, and they are turned into aspects of super-spies but not the super-spy we know from most realms of fiction." 

Aelita nodded, "You really like this, don't you?" 

"I am because it's quality entertainment, and it's a good bit of education. The thing is these agencies are fictional, but the backdrop of the cold war and you have the agencies more or less tie into the events of the cold war, it's actually pretty cool. You know going in, the narrative is a form of subverted history, I've accepted that. But really what I find interesting is that this series is one, it's independently published. Two, they have literally limited releases where they have a policy, you get them while you can because there won't be a reprint until issued into graphic novel format. Even then, the novels are in limited supply because they have what is called "Author's File." This is a blueprint of a lot of ideas considered for this plotline or that one and what is even from those blueprints, being considered for other upcoming issues. 

You get a great window into what is going on in the author's head, but you also don't quite know what's going to happen. At best, you are given a list of possible happenings, and half the fun is debating with others where the plot will go next." 

Aelita nodded, smiling, "Great. Well, when finished, just let me give it a read, and we can discuss it. I'm going to go see how Jeremy's doing." 

"Oh, before you go, how are you feeling with the whole Jacqueline debacle?"

"Debacle? I wouldn't quite call it that—not exactly. However, to answer your question, a recharge was all I needed. A lot of how she bugs me, I can largely deal with. The best way I think to do that is to literally cut her off from access to messing with Jeremy's head." 

"Ah," Odd said with a laugh, "She's the girl that literally thinks to put a bullet where it will do the most damage. Smart."

"Yeah," Aelita said with a nervous smile, "Rumor has it she's talking with Magali this afternoon. So, that'll be interesting to hear the grapevine report about that."

Odd looked at her, "Yeah, I heard about that too. I talked to Magali also. She definitely has her own motives for Jacqui. That said, I'd be scared if I were Jacqui."

Aelita looked at Odd, "Why?"

"Because when I talked to her, let alone watched her engage with Jacqui, she looks at Jacqui the same way I look at Shepherd's pie."

Aelita paused, "Is—is Magali a homosexual?"

Odd shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't get that feeling when we were going out, but even so. Just how she looks at Jacqui, even how she talks about her, believe me, that something's definitely got her tubes flowing."

Aelita shrugged, "Jacqui, I know she can handle herself, but we'll see. I know I don't get along with her exactly, and she can be pretty annoying, but I don't wish her harm." 

Odd nodded, "I don't either. Despite how I have seen her time and again, she's not a bad person, I don't think. Just, well, she knows who she is, she has her views, and you have to respect her. Because she's largely unflinching in them."

Aelita nodded, "Yeah, and that's not a bad thing. She just—I think it best said, she needs lessons in tactfulness. That would help her a good deal. But her humor I've learned is to make jokes out of what we see as severe situations." 

Odd got up, "Well, I'm going to go get some lunch. Wanna' come with? Hopefully, we get a really good meal. It being Saturday and all."

Aelita nodded with a smile and replied, "Sure, Odd."

As they headed towards the cafeteria, Aelita asked, "So Odd, these agents do you think there's a bit of the superhuman element to them?"

"I want to say yes, but I can't say it with conviction because there are plenty of situations where the missions can honestly blow up in their faces, and it's a really case-by-case kind of thing." 

Meanwhile, Yolanda was taking her lunch period to herself and reading her own copy of _Catalyst._ She had to give credit where it was due. Spade had more than done her job with the marketing aspect of these little treasures. In many ways, due to the limited circulation, it was a fantastic way to start a bidding war amongst the most fervent of collectors. Yolanda also was pleasantly surprised that this element of telling North-Gate's story was in its way subtle and yet based on the raw statistics, was one of the higher selling comics in this niche of the market. It was a lovely little thing that made money in bursts, but it was so minimal in the overall scheme, that it equally served as propaganda and a tertiary emergency fund. 

Yolanda found herself smiling more often than she would have cared to admit as she read over the careful narrative weaving of select elements of their own operations set against the backdrop of the cold war. In many ways, it was a semi-autobiography for the whole service. It served as a clever way to both hook the audience on the next issue and easily access puzzles, allowing the viewer to decode what was going to happen next. This little puzzle was, in truth, a covert sigil to inform select agents of their individual commands. Usually, this was achieved, as Yolanda observed through the series run, tailoring an issue around a particular character arc. It was done so that the character would recount a select event. The beginning of the recollection was the signal to the agents of who this message was meant for. 

As Yolanda read, she heard a knock at the door, and she said, "Come in." 

The door opened, and Maria stepped in, looking around, "Nice little place you have set up here." 

Yolanda smiled a bit, "Good to see you too, Marie. What's going on?"

Maria raised a paper bag, "Brought you lunch, Doc."

Maria handed over the bag and sat on one of the beds. She then clapped her hands, and Yolanda looked at her, and Maria signed, "News update." 

Yolanda nodded and signed back, "Off the books?"

Maria nodded, and Yolanda signed, "Continue. Give it to me in full." 

Maria nodded signed, "Eat while you can. Blink once for yes, twice for no. Here's the rundown, Good Neighbor is active. All of us are heading out to activate the agents. You are to stay here under direct order. Also, from what we've gathered, Hopper is active. She took out one of the old extensions which we were monitoring. If we play this right, we can use our sleepers to harness resources right now in a state of jeopardy. If we can sway the board in majority rule or least force a protracted stalemate, we can buy time to acquire the resources left from Assendorp's company. The best part is that this is above board because this is a natural corporate function to ensure the survival of the entity. Despite how Hopper left a steaming pile of shit in our laps, we can still turn this on her."

Yolanda nodded and blinked once and then began to sign, "What is my permitted range of movement? Can I help with our sleepers?"

Maria blinked twice and signed, "You have a range of here at Kadic to your home. Also, you're cleared to go to Site Four for emergencies, and I _mean _emergencies. Being as you are a lone agent right now, you can't risk exposure and be compromised. However, we have people in place with our sleepers, Sanford and Ricky. They are also our trump card should things change based on their reports. Amelia has been assigned to coordinate an effort in Vladivostok, and from there, vet another safehouse around Zurich. It's largely outside the city, very safe, very secure. If things go south, we are relocating there, and Hitch will take over your position here while you fire up the field hospital and oversee its staff training." 

Yolanda nodded and signed, "Why would Hopper do this? It seems counter-productive if the leads are anything to go by."

Maria replied, "Honestly, I don't think this was intended for once. The whole thing wreaks of a contingency plan that honestly probably wouldn't ordinarily be enacted. However, as is the case with a lot of stuff like this, these things do happen. Right now, it's either being explained as cleaning house or restructuring. Either way, Hopper's out there, operating under the alias Dr. Michelle Stanislaw. And I have a feeling she'll be coming for the kid of her own accord. That's another reason why you are stationed here for now." 

Yolanda nodded and signed, "Alright. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

Maria blinked once and signed, "We're working on the connections of various financial records. Those results will be transferred to Viaduct. The dead drop for correspondence will be in the nearby park, just outside Kadic. You are to interpret and decipher the files that are at the drop, and once done, leave them back at the drop for processing. The drop is marked by graffiti depicting Sissi Delmas in a badly drawn tiara that will glow in the dark even if there is rain. That way, you can deliver at night if necessary. Traditional dead drop time will be at twelve-ten every day. That way, you have the cover of lunch to literally disappear unhindered."

Yolanda nodded and signed, "Once the processing is done, then what?"

"The usual, we send in the strike team, neutralize the components, and cripple Hopper's new masters before they get too far ahead of us. It will buy us time to prepare for the greater operation and keep them at bay. Also, we need you to prepare for Protocol Five."

Yolanda's eyes widened, and a smile went across her face, and she signed, "Excellent. Where will the facility be?" 

Maria signed, "That's not been determined. For right now, focus on decryption. That's the primary focus right now. We've set up a field box to be arranged for you at Fitz's in town. Ask for a Rolex in Rose-Gold, and when he asks what size, respond uniform." 

Yolanda nodded, "If I need to get a new identity, just in case, is it the same protocol as usual?" 

Maria nodded, and Yolanda signed back, "So, to be sure, go to the park every lunch-hour find the graffiti, and from that point on, my job is actively in analytics?" 

Maria signed back, "Correct. Also, the photo of the drop is in your field-box, so I'd get that after work today."

Yolanda signed back, "Are we going back to field boxes now? No kits?"

"Sadly, no. But this is a bit more convenient than our former kit. The box will have a majority of what we need of called into the actual field. So, inside the one at Fitz's is a small form. Fill it out, be specific, be selective, catered to skills. Your request will be processed within two days. The kits gave off too much of a signature, and from that, we've decided to back to tradition. Thus, greater true risk assessment and personal responsibility both at home and abroad." 

Yolanda nodded and spoke, "Alright, easy enough. So, let's eat, and have a talk."

Maria smiled and seeing an issue of _Catalyst, _asked, pointing to the issue, "Are you enjoying the narrative?" 

Yolanda chuckled and said, "Yes, it's actually a riveting read. I was rereading this particular one because it reminded me of Agent Smith, you know?"

"Oh, believe me, I know. You were there, heck, you remember. The S Man was beyond a task to take care of, and shockingly, he was supposed to be a one and done."

Yolanda laughed, "Oh, I know! What amazed me was how resilient he was and how he was still able to get so damned lucky to doge many of our shots. I couldn't believe it, Marie! We cooked the grenade, chucked it, took out his security team entirely, and he was still alive." 

"I remember, I was the Evac Driver. Who was with you at that time? Garrote?" 

"Nah, it was, I _think, _Hitch. I'm not sure. It's been a while. All I knew was the S-Man was so damn fast that sure, Hitch cooked the potato and blasted the group, I heard it, and I was at the base of the stairs leading up to the room, and I got behind the crate and fired what should have been a perfect shot, but this guy just dodged it and even the guy I was with, we were both like, "_How?!" _

Maria laughed, "I know. But Hitch kinda' was to blame for what happened to him."

"Yeah, but with respect at the time, he was a true greenhorn agent. Even worse, S-Man shot past him and got behind cover and sure, my partner plugged him with more than a couple of rounds, but that vest was some kind of miracle material because it was shredded and S-Man was on his last leg, but that's what amazed me, he was still going! And I don't know what our neighbors did to this guy in terms of training, but when S-Man was down to that point, he must have gone as the kids say today, Super Saiyan."

Maria laughed, "You serious? Super Saiyan?"

"How else would you describe it? Unless this guy had a contract with Satan for the ultimate blaze of glory moment, that's the excuse I'm sticking to. Because S-Man aimed at my partner and literally made hamburger of him. Thankfully, it provided the window for me to circle around and I just emptied half my clip into him, because fuck taking the raw chance that this guy could possibly get up."

"We could have processed him, you know that. Used those remarkable talents for ourselves, you know?" Maria replied as she crossed her legs.

"I know it, but here's the thing, like it was explained to me, reality's a bit different than theory."

Maria smirked and said, "Funny how that logic works for you when you're using it as a justification for spiteful 'assurance of victory' as it was termed in the mission report."

"What, are you going to go Sylvia on me?" Yolanda asked.

"No, I just find it rather funny is all. A paradox in ethical logic, as my old professor would have said."

"Who Colonel Sanders? You hated that guy!"

"Only because he cheated me out of a good grade! That's my objection! I really still can't believe that jackass!"

"Ah, but don't you know, there's no cheating in the academic world, there's only cheating yourself."

Maria looked at her, and Yolanda smiled in response to the look. Maria shook her head, then both burst out laughing. 

Yolanda caught her breath, "No, but seriously, what all went down with Sanders?"

"Okay, here's the deal. We were given a task to read the material write a daily synopsis for submission for our daily work to count as participation in the class. I wrote those synopses and got full points for them. Not _once _did Sanders give any form of objection. So, when it came full time to apply what we had learned for the mid-term and finals, I did what everyone does in academia, namely, regurgitating what the notes were in a semi-essay format. However, upon that, well, it didn't work. Got a D for Mid-term and F for final.

But my hang-up is just that I had gotten full points on the notes, and so I thought I was a sure-fire for the midterms."

"Mm-hmm," Yolanda said with a nod, "I think I see what happened here. See, Sanders did not _read _the stuff you posted. Therefore, it's natural for you to think he had done so, and, logically, you'd see the notes as a good resource if not given contradiction. Sanders didn't read the notes, he simply _accounted _that you did them. _That's _the point. Did you have any format under which you submitted, anything like that?"

"I just labeled them notes for lecture 1-20. Why?"

"That's it then. Smith never read them. In many ways, you can argue it is his fault. That said, it's a bit late now. It would do you no good."

"I know. But it frickin' burns my ass, Londie. There was no reason for it."

Yolanda nodded, "True. Anyway, look my lunch hour's nearly up, and I have a few physical examinations to do for some new students under parental directorate. So, I don't mean to be rude and usher you away, but I have work to do in a bit."

Maria nodded, "Of course." She got up and headed to the door. However, once there, she turned and faced Yolanda and signed, "Hey, you're doing a fantastic job here. I know some things bug you on occasion. But, you've done a fantastic job doing what you were assigned."

Yolanda nodded and gave the thumb's up and signed back, "Before you go off to agent detail, submit a query for next time. Why did XANA have influence over North-Gate agents to the extent that he did? Why did Sylvia allow us to be compromised?"

Maria nodded and signed back, "She knows the answer. Discuss it with her when you both are free. Or heck, just call her in for a medical eval and discuss it there."

Yolanda nodded, and Maria opened the door and left. Yolanda looked over the files of the students coming in over the next hour, and she looked at the clock. Four more hours until she could clock out. That was fine. The best part for Yolanda, she knew her specific skills would be used in time. And that for her was the best news to come her way all week.


	52. Chapter 52

_**AN: This chapter took me a bit longer than anticipated due to how I wasn't satisfied with the pacing and themes until I reworked them. However, with patience and God's help, I gave you a chapter that I am quite pleased with. From this point on, I will be updating when I am happy with the chapter's contents. I detest rushed work, and so as much as I may like to upload once a week, the chapter might be uploaded on the weekend more frequently than mid-week as has been something of a tradition. I hope you all read, review, and enjoy as always.—Pagliacci-11.**_

Disclaimer: I own nothing of True Love Ways. The song was composed and sung by Buddy Holly. All rights belong to their appropriate holders.

Chapter 52

Jacqueline entered the dorm and collapsed on her bed. She was exhausted from the conversation she had had with Magali. It wasn't a bad conversation, but it was very involved for someone of her age. Not only were there questions, but more than Jacqui had anticipated, Magali knew far more of real-life than she had given her credit for. Magali bore no marks of physical abuse, but as Jacqueline had talked to her for an hour and a half, she'd come to understand that abuse had many markings, and in Magali, she saw many echoes of herself. A lover of order, a deep-seated desire for supreme justice. But like Jacqui had to learn, which she knew Magali would one day have to learn, the aspect of mercy when dealing with the lives of others was, at times, far more precious than upholding the standard of justice.

In many ways, Jacqui pitied the young woman for the aspect that much like her, she'd been actively forced to grow up far quicker than she should have. It struck Jacqui when Magali revealed why she spent so much time dedicated to books and doing her very best. Because, to Magali, Kadic represented an escape, an escape from the drama of home. The overly harsh and critical nature of her mother, who, as Jacqui listened was responsible for shaping a lot of Magali's direct nature, was one of the reasons Kadic was seen as a form of sanctuary.

As Jacqui listened, Magali had explained it very simply, "_Look, our expected standards of life are clearly different. It's hard to stand out amongst your family for your own talents when your mother is a gifted genius in mathematics, and your father is practically Robespierre reborn. My skills are in writing, making observations. However, in all reality, it is much harder when you consider that your parents don't value your skills because they don't suit the same importance as they perceive their skills to be. So, why do I like Kadic? Well, my aspirations aren't marginalized, and I don't feel as if I'm underachieving."_

As much as Jacqui said nothing in response to this, she more than understood how Magali could feel the way she did. Equally, she knew that to be a satirist in all reality was all and good, she was one herself at one point. However, Magali's parents sadly had a method to their madness, and this was what Jacqui dare not tell Magali directly. Because Jacqui knew that Magali had a fire burning deep within her, to be taken seriously for what she had to say. But Jacqui knew that if Magali didn't get the traction she desperately needed and soon, Magali would come under fire from her parents for wasting her time and resources "chasing some stupid dream."

However, Jacqui knew there was plenty of hope still, and optimism remained because Jacqui had the tools to help realize the dreams of those whose ideas needed to be recognized. But equally, Jacqui knew very well that Magali was much like many youths her age, thinking she knew enough based on her observations. While this was true and for now served its purpose, Jacqui knew that if Magali embraced the elements of the real world her parents inhabited, her writing would be so much more vibrant. Jacqui debated telling Magali this but knew that given the relations she had with her parents, Magali would likely not be in the mood for overexposure to her parents. Even if she were, Jacqui had to figure out how long would these discussions last before devolving into self-righteous sermons of condemnation and condescension? If history was any guide, especially having been privy to similar prior experiences, not long at all.

Jacqui sighed, and she closed her eyes. The room was abnormally hot and humid, and honestly, there was no real reason for that. Even so, it made her feel the epitome of gross. Getting up, Jacqui opened the dorm door to hopefully get some kind of difference from the hall. To her relief, it seemed to work. Bizarrely, the hall was a substantial bit cooler than the dorm. Jacqui shrugged and leaned against the wall.

Just a little while afterward, she heard footsteps approaching from the right. She looked over and saw Sissi approaching, clearly in a foul mood.

"Who the hell does that muscle-bound gorilla think he is?" Sissi said out loud, "For the sake of my already poor reputation, where does he get off?"

Jacqui replied, "With all due respect, Nicholas is more akin to the Orangutan than a gorilla, but point taken."

Sissi whirled on her, "Who asked you?!"

"Nobody. I just figured if you're going to disgrace a lackey verbally, you should at least disgrace them accurately."

Sissi walked up to her, "Read my lips, fuck you."

"Okay, but which lips should I be reading? If I read the lips of the southern region, it would make more viable sense to heed that advice. As for fucking myself, masturbation has its perks, but nothing beats a nice piece of wood."

Sissi shook her head, "I almost pity you."

"Why would you of all people feel sorry for me? You aren't me; you aren't poor, you are the prima-donna of the school. So, how can you of all people feel sorry for me when you've never known poverty or a bad day in your life?"

Sissi looked at her, her eyes burning, "You don't know what the hell I've been through!"

"Believe me, Elisabeth, I more than do. It's not that bad at all. The worst you have or had I should say, is unrequited love for Ulrich Stern and that has more than resolved itself, even if it is in the basest sense of resolution. Therefore, don't preach t to me about the Hell you've been through."

"Oh, you think you know so much do you, you think you know everything you know about me, do you?!

"There's a difference between thinking I know and _knowing_ I know. Also, no need to follow up with the second 'do you.' Just for future reference, when you do that, I know all I must do to win an argument, is literally take a knee and run out the clock."

Sissi gave a disgusted sigh and turned and went to her room door, and Jacqui said, "Hey, I'd stay out here if I were you. The dorm rooms are as hot as a hooker's doorknocker on nickel-night."

Sissi looked at Jacqui and rolled her eyes, and opened her dorm room. The cold air within, which Jacqui felt from the outside, made Sissi's room a veritable winter wonderland. Chuckling to herself, she thought, "_Oh, the struggles of the privileged." _

Jacqui then heard footsteps once more, this time to the left. She looked and saw Aelita coming through the double doors.

"Did you enjoy your night off?" Jacqui asked.

Aelita looked at her and replied, "Yes, actually. It was restful, thank you."

"Of course. I'm staying out here right now, the room is sweltering for some reason."

Aelita nodded and stood on the opposite side of the door, "I take it you got a taste of heaven that exits next door, huh?" Aelita asked.

"Heaven? Oh, you mean the princess fridge. Ah, I did, but believe me, I'm not impressed. It's the headmaster's little girl, what was I expecting? That Sissi would live humbly given her station? That's like asking Amelia to not swear with every other sentence. It's a noble hope, but it's more like a broken pencil at the end of the day."

Aelita looked at her, "Meaning?"

"Pointless." Jacqui replied with a smile.

Aelita smirked, "You're slowly improving."

"Thanks. I've been reading the random joke book here and there."

"Joke books? Where do they have those? I'm sorry, but Kadic, I didn't think had those as they saw them as not educational enough."

"How can joke books not be seen as crucial? In this world of hellspawn, humor is one of our best defenses. And I found it at the salvage sale. Got three books for three dollars."

"Oh? What books did you get?"

"The aforementioned jokebook, _Crime and Punishment_ by Dostoyevsky, and _Metamorphosis _by Kafka."

Aelita looked at Jacqui a bit surprised, "Do you like Russian authors by default?"

"Well, they're far more interesting because they are thought-provoking on a whole variety of topics. Besides, people do not like to think so much anymore. They prefer to react and not even think about said reaction and if it's justified."

Aelita nodded, "You, being an American, I'd have thought you'd have more appreciation for your fellow countrymen and their works."

"Eh, I do. But I have a different standard of quality than my countrymen. I mean, you look at a lot of my fellow citizens. Either half are kept so busy by their employers that they don't have time to read, or you have all the time to read, develop theories and your own takes on that reading, but because you don't have "viable experience," as they term it, you aren't taken seriously. A lot of my countrymen aren't philosophical in thought either. They don't have the time to do a lot of abstract thinking. Many are just doing their jobs and dulling their senses to endure the next day. Not unlike France in many ways.

But then, if you ascribe to my uncle's theories, such a design is mostly deliberate. Dull people are easily controlled, and only the wise man can see he's being used after enough time and paying attention to things. That said, it's not always so much of a shadow game. For example, when the bosses don't value you, use your bonus to produce more for their own expansion instead of giving you your due; jip you on overtime. Suddenly they are shocked and dismayed when they have people dropping right, left and center because of raw greed, well it's not hard to see why in many people's minds, 'The working man's a sucker.'

Another example is when you work for three years at a location, and you haven't gotten a raise in three years. The new hiree is dumb as a box of rocks and immediately receives a salary double what you have for your experience. However, this isn't always the case, but it happens more frequently than a lot of us care to admit."

Aelita nodded, "Forgive me, Jacqui, but can I say something?"

Jacqui nodded, "Sure, what is it?"

"No disrespect—but you're a real bummer. I listen to you, and you sound like you've had enough of life, and you're barely older than me. That's the sad part. I understand bad things happen, but I feel you might be blowing your country's assessment a tiny bit out of proportion. I'm just saying, it genuinely feels that way. You sound miserable, and even in your attempts to be humorous even I can tell, you aren't genuine in your humor."

Jacqui looked at Aelita, "I'll choose to forgive the ignorance of your statement this time. Because, well, with respect, you just don't know any better because you haven't lived in the country for one, and two, that lack of exposure makes you ignorant of what is the legitimate goings-on."

Aelita looked at her, "You say ignorance, are you sure you don't mean innocence? Something that on some level I can sense, you're actually envious that I have?"

Jacqui shrugged and said, "Not envious—but in my defense, you assume too much of what you suspect to be true. You assume that without a clue, never mind raw experience as to how things really work and thusly pan out. I call that blind optimism, which is different from hopeless optimism. Blind optimism meaning, you may take a few of my observations for what they are, but you don't accurately believe some other more specific details. And that's okay. Hopeless optimism, however, is where you know something is just a shitty situation, and from that, you hope for the best regardless of just how tits up the situation is. So, in hindsight, I understand what you say, and I don't dismiss it. But, equally, I know you have much to learn once you leave the security of what I call the priming phase of life."

Aelita looked at Jacqui strangely, "Look, let me ask you a question. Do you even know what it's like to be a child, to be a teenager, and just you know, lighten up?"

"Lighten up? Okay, go on."

"I mean—look, no disrespect, but your strict routine gets old. You know, uh, crack a smile occasionally—I don't know, be a normal person."

"Normalcy is subjective, as is the ethical and moral law to a large extent."

"See, there, _right there, _that's what I'm talking about. Do you know how odd that makes you sound? I mean what teenager talks that way? I used to think you were just putting on airs, but no, you naturally talk that way."

"So, would you prefer I stay silent instead of talking in a way that embitters you?" Jacqui asked.

"No, just—don't talk as you do. I did not have the nicest teachers when it came to adjusting to living here, I assure you. One of them is right next door. However, these were things I just had to pick up. Because I actively _know, _not assume that how you specifically talk and deal with people will largely get you in trouble. I'm trying to help you so you can adjust better."

Jacqui looked at Aelita, "Consider that it is not I who needs to adjust. No adjustments need to be made on my end. Simply put, I seek like-minded people. Magali, Claire, a few others, I stomach them better than the rest of these poor dullards. Why? Because these are people who can actively talk, reason, and discuss intelligently to an extent. Those who I approach have the wherewithal to read and absorb what is read and _comprehend_ the themes therein. Be a normal person, you say? So, be a dullard as Odd is? Wanting a cliff notes version of a specific instruction? If to be a uniform dullard as the rest of these stooges is your idea of normalcy, then I hear your advice, but choose not to follow it."

Jacqui sighed, "Look, nice people don't get far in life, Aelita. You need to know that right now. You have to be a bit of an asshole to be taken seriously and get what you want. Sadly, that's the way the world works. For example—"

Jacqui went up to Sissi's door, and she felt the handle have the proper resistance being locked. She nodded, and she went back to the wall, "Just wait till this evening."

"For what?" Aelita asked.

"I'm going to reacquire the air-conditioner that way, the princess can learn what it is like to coexist with the commoners."

"You mean, steal the A.C. and put it into our room?" Aelita asked with a bemused smile. "Don't you think that's a bit risky, even foolish?"

"Firstly, stealing implies ownership. I am not stealing. I am to quote the Politburo, "redistributing vital resources for the good of the people from those who are willfully withholding their due."

Aelita shrugged, "It just sounds like a fancifully-worded explanation of stealing with false pretenses."

"Welcome to Marxism, my friend," Jacqui replied.

Aelita smiled and shook her head, "Is this your view of living dangerously? Or your interpretation to be more accurate?"

"Hey, it's either this or giving Delmas balding cream. Of the two, I can only consider one of these to be a large enough statement with a minimal retribution possibility."

Aelita shrugged, "Although a bald Sissi would be fun to see, just saying."

"It would be. But even so, I see it as needlessly cruel. Sissi's current social dynamic would be in shambles anyway if word got out. Also, to make her bald, even I have standards."

"I think you're confusing needlessly cruel with overly-cruel."

"Semantics, love. They are largely the same thing." Jacqui looked at the clock above the double doors, "Hey, want to go to the rec-room, hang out for a bit? It's probably a bit cooler than here."

Aelita shrugged, "Sure."

"A general question, though," Jacqui said as they began to walk that way, "Is it always this hot in the afternoon? I mean, I've had bad days when I visited the South and Midwest of my country, but I though France, much like England, would be suitably milder."

"In a way, you're right. But as you'll see, there are a lot of variables that go into this place. The thing is, it's not as bad as it could be. A lot of people submit we get semi-intense summers, but the tradeoff is that most nights are beautiful to walk in once the sun goes down."

Jacqui nodded as she continued to walk, "If that's the case, I might as well enjoy a stroll this evening. Hmm, see what's in it for me."

At that moment, Jacqueline's implant sent a signal to her head, and she checked what was going on. Nothing was abnormal or out of the ordinary at first. But as Jacqui looked closer, her implant had fired off a phase that was called internal repression. She thought, "_Huh, that's odd. I don't remember that being a function." _

Aelita looked at her, "Everything alright?"

Jacqui looked at her, "Huh? Yeah, everything is fine. Just was thinking a moment."

Aelita nodded, "Okay. Because you literally froze in place for a moment, like watching a bizarre mime."

Jacqui looked at her and said, "Froze in place? How?"

"I don't know. You just froze like this." Aelita demonstrated as she extended her leg as if frozen in place, her heel just above the floor.

Jacqui winced, "Huh, well, okay. Don't know why."

Aelita said, "For a moment, I thought you were going to have an attack like Jeremy had a little bit ago. He just seized up, and he fell into a horrible convulsion."

Jacqui nodded, "Thanks for your concern. If this carries on, I'll talk to the nurse."

An hour later, after a few games of foosball, Jacqui walked silently around the Kadic grounds. Something was off. Jacqui knew that much. Just what it was, she wasn't sure. But it was growing to be more of an issue. She had played the games of foosball, but while Aelita took her turn, she felt truly outside of herself as if watching through a nauseating fishbowl. She had dismissed it after a while due to the effects subsiding. But still, something was not right. Jacqui didn't want to compromise everything she had done, but unfortunately, she knew she couldn't persist in this condition.

Checking the clock tower, Jacqui knew there were only a couple of hours left until dinner. Maybe if she got some food in her, it would lessen some of these effects. As Jacqui sat down, the feeling of nausea continued to come on. But she wasn't nauseous so much as she was dizzy and becoming slowly disoriented. Jacqui tapped into her implant to contact Yolanda, but for some unknown reason, Jacqui found the implant couldn't connect. Jacqui got up, and knowing where the infirmary was, she made her way there. Her movement was shaky, and bizarrely, the air around her felt freezing. As she walked, she felt the numbness in her arm, and it traveled to her face.

"_Get out!" _a voice suddenly cried, and Jacqui listened, "_Get out! Get the fuck out! Get out! Get out!" _

Jacqui was trying to keep it together as she made her way down the hall. The voice kept screaming to get out. But it didn't make sense. Everything had been prepared, planned for, what was happening? All these questions and more filled Jacqui as she reached the infirmary door.

She knocked hard on the door and said, "Nurse Perraudin, are you there?"

Suddenly the door opened, and Yolanda saw her, and her eyes went wide, "Come in."

"Make it stop." Jacqui said in a hushed whisper, "Make it stop, please. Make it stop."

"Make what stop, Sylvie?" Yolanda said she closed the door and helped her to the bed, "What's going on?"

"The voice." Jacqui said as she lay down, "the voice in my head. She's mad, oh she—"

Jacqui suddenly screamed in pain as her body jolted violently, and tremors began in her legs and arms. Yolanda's eyes went wide, and internally she was panicking.

Locking the door, Yolanda went to her implant and sent out the message to the North-Gate receiver, "This is Observation Unit 1009, we have an emergency. Anyone on base, anyone active, come in. I repeat, anyone active, come in."

There was a response within two minutes, "_Copy Observer, what's the situation?_"

"Motherland is down, repeat, Motherland is down. Need Evac to base and need replacement on site so as not to be compromised."

"_Understood. Evac will be at your location in ten minutes. Make the arrangements you need. Recalling chief operators to functions."_

"Belay that order. The ordinances are being activated for the second phase." Yolanda replied.

"_Denied. Kodiak's health takes priority. Until she is stabilized, all chief operators are going to be recalled. North-Gate is entering siege mode." _

Yolanda internally cursed herself, but all the same, she realized what she had to do. She saw Jacqui's tremors slowly subsiding, but her eyes looked as if seeing the gates of Hell, so great was her terror.

Soon, Yolanda got a call from Terry, "_Londie, what's going on? I got notification of the recall, what's up?"_

"I have no clue. Sylvie came in, and she was complaining of a voice in her head, and then she just started screaming, and now she is convulsing. I'm doing the best I can to stabilize her. I've called Evac to the location, and we're going there."

"_Hold on, let me try something. Be right back." _

Suddenly, Jacqui jolted very violently and gave a deep, almost inhuman gasp.

Terry came back on, "_That's really weird. I tried communique with Sylvie's implant, nothing, no signal, she's not even showing up as part of the system. There must be some kind of interference."_

"What that was, don't do it again," Yolanda said. But suddenly, she saw Sylvia jolt and surge even more in a bizarre pattern. Yolanda rushed to her and felt the base of her skull. Patching into her implant, Yolanda said, "Terry, we must disable her implant. People are trying to contact her, and she is having horrid seizes because of it. She's got a fever of some kind, and the communications are shooting her temperature through the roof. Please use your admin clearance and shut her down. Her skull is on fire, if we shut her off and I can do an assessment at the base, we can figure this out."

"_Understood. Terminating link now." _

There was a final jolt, then Jacqui's body arched and then fell to the mattress with a solid bang. Afterward, she was utterly still. Yolanda was breathed lightly and felt her neck, no pulse. Yolanda went immediately to her cabinet and reached in the far back and took out a small case. Opening it, she took out a blue triangle, and she tore open Jacqui's shirt. Finding the corresponding mark just above her right breast, she pressed down and pressed the small switch on the triangle. There was a robust series of jolts, and Yolanda removed the triangle.

Feeling the pulse again, there was a very faint heartbeat, but it was there. Yolanda checked outside, and the panel van had just arrived. Going to her desk, she placed her coffee cup on the windowsill. A man quickly got out of the truck and moved with breathtaking speed towards the window. Yolanda opened it, and the man came in.

"Oh, Hitch, thank God it's you," Yolanda said.

The man nodded, "Where's the boss?"

Yolanda pointed, and Hitch immediately went to Jacqui and gently put her over his shoulder and headed outside, quickly heading to the van.

After he'd put Jacqui in the back, Hitch checked around and signaled, and Yolanda closed the window. Soon, a voice came through her implant, "_Londie, It's Hitch. I have the training to stabilize boss till you get here. Do not rush with your replacement. We cannot have your situation compromised. Wait till' your replacement's on sight, check out, and come to the base as soon as possible."_

"Understood," Yolanda replied.

Another voice came in, it was Maria, "_Hey, I'm watching what's going on right now. I talked with Terry. I'm on my way to activate the agents that I can, and I'm going to do the group's original tasks. So, take care of Sylvie, what needs to be done. Our mission is in good hands." _

"Thanks, Marie, I'll be in touch," Yolanda replied as she dialed Beck's number. There was a bit of delay before he picked up.

"_Hello?"_

"Hello, Monsieur Beck. This Yolanda Perraudin at Kadic. I need you to please come in tonight and stay your regular shift. I will ensure you are paid overtime for your trouble. Something immediate has come up; otherwise, I would not have asked you."

"_Of course. I'll be there in fifteen minutes or so." _

"Very good. Thank you very much." Yolanda hanged up the receiver and headed upstairs to Nicole's desk and took out the duties log. She found her location on the timetable and signed "Family Emergency. Will be back at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday to resume normal shift." In Beck's slot, she filled out, "Overtime for Perra. Absence x2." Yolanda signed both slots and, once done, headed back to the infirmary.

Yolanda sat quietly, and as she reflected, she was amazed at what she had just seen. Never before had this happened. Usually, Sylvia's methods were quite smooth and very well executed. But something with this go-around had gone awry. But why did this happen? Could it have been the semi-rushed production phase? No, that wasn't it—perhaps it was, but still, tests had to be done. But then there was the voice Sylvia had said she heard. What voice? How was that even possible? These thoughts and more swirled around Yolanda's head, but now, she realized she had a task. Yolanda had to stabilize Sylvia until the team could successfully determine the problem.

What bothered Yolanda was that this affliction was literally out of the blue within not even twenty-four hours. But the implant was another factor, it wasn't receiving signals or broadcasting the traditional way. Every incoming call could be determined directly from Sylvia's jolts. Yolanda had felt the heat of the skull; it was as if Sylvia had peaked a full fever of at least one-hundred and two within three minutes. Sure, she wouldn't discount this happening due to the bombardment of incoming messages. But this had never happened before in all the years since the team had the implant system. So, what was happening?

There was a knock on the door, and Yolanda opened. Beck stood outside, "Sorry if I'm a bit disheveled, I came as soon as possible."

Yolanda nodded, "I greatly appreciate this. I've marked down in the ledger that you are here for twice the overtime. I'm forfeiting my time to feed into yours because I'll be gone for a bit."

Beck nodded, "Is there a major issue?"

Yolanda nodded, "Yes, very much so. I'll be back on Thursday at the earliest, Saturday at the latest."

"I gotcha. Don't worry. Do what you need to do, and I'll hold the fort here." Beck said as he sat in her chair, "Anything I should know?"

"No. Every major aspect for the students has been taken care of until a majority arrive next week. So, you should be just fine. Well, I'll see you in a couple of days."

Beck waved goodbye, and Yolanda headed promptly out to her car. Once inside, she pulled out of the parking lot. Once out of range of the lower district traffic, Yolanda gunned it towards the gravel road that headed to the compound.

Yolanda patched into the North-Gate communication hub, and she asked, "How's Motherland?"

The response came, "_She's stable for right now. Going in and out of consciousness. She's having manic fits where literally it's like watching the old Two-Face cartoons." _

Yolanda replied, "Wait, what are you saying? Is she actively disassociating?"

"_Look, I'm not sure. All I know is that the boss is flip-flopping between her natural self and some other mindset that is just rightly pissed."_

Soon, Terry came over the communication, "_I have a feeling I know what is going on, and if I'm right, it's a true first for this process. Hitch, plug Sylvia's outlet into the south terminal in room C. You can't miss the cord; it's bright neon green. Once you plug her in, go to the main console and activate Internal Cleanse. This will completely restore Sylvia into the North-Gate program."_

"_Got it, Ter. Doing it now." _Hitch replied.

"_Terry, what's going on with the boss-lady?" _Enrique asked.

"_Too early to tell just yet. But I have a theory. As soon as I get to the lab, I'll know for sure. However, the moment Sylvia comes back into the North-Gate system, all our communications will undergo a hard reset. This will be signaled by the consoles in our cars or our phone screens turning lilac in color and the old anthem beginning to play. Once it has finished playing, she'll be completely reintegrated into the software." _

Yolanda replied, "I am nearly at the lab, Terry. What should I do to get ready for you?"

"_Most of the work has been done with the reset. But once you get there, tie the body down. If my theory is correct, and I __really__don't want it to be, we're going to need those restraints." _

Yolanda was silent a moment, and then she said, "Very well." She turned off the communication stream, and she thought, "_My God, Terry. What have you done?"_

There was fear in Terry's command, genuine fear. This was not normal; this was far from ordinary. Yolanda thought, "_If Terry was afraid and helped oversee the elements of this construct, what didn't he account for?"_

Yolanda accelerated the car and, in time, came to the North-Gate lab. She immediately got out and, after verifying her clearance, entered the lab. The body was still twitching on a small gurney. She saw Hitch standing by, and he smiled as he saw her.

"Thank goodness you're here." He said, visibly a bit nervous, "She was going completely bonkers. It was like watching a movie but only with one actor."

Yolanda nodded, "Look, help me get this thing down the hall to the secure bed, we're going to strap this thing in."

Hitch nodded, and together, he and Yolanda took the gurney down to a specialized bed, lay the body on the bed, and secured the arms, legs, chest, and head.

Yolanda was amazed at the condition of the body. It was still twitching and moving even though Sylvia had been disconnected from it.

"How goes her progress back into the mainframe?" Yolanda asked.

"She's almost done at ninety percent when you came in," Hitch replied.

Yolanda nodded, "So, almost there. That's good." Yolanda went over to a large cabinet and took out her medical bag, "Alright, so—" she took out a small light from the bag and said, "What are we dealing with here?"

As Yolanda approached and gently began to open the lid, as soon as the beam of the overhead light graced the eyeball, the body violently reacted in a massive attempted lunge, which to Yolanda's shock lifted the frame which held the bed in place.

"What the fuck?!" Yolanda screamed in alarm as she backed up all the way to the wall.

The being before her growled and spoken in broken syllables while attempting to move its arms, the strength of which made Yolanda's mouth drop as the reinforced straps could be heard audibly intensely stretching under the sheer force of the arms.

A beep was heard at one of the doors, and Terry came in quickly with Emilio right behind him. His eyes went wide, "Oh my god!" He exclaimed beholding the being before him, "What the—"

Emilio said, "Terry, man, what the hell is this thing?!"

Terry looked around, and Yolanda could see he was doing a quick calculation in his head. In a split second, Terry took off, and he ran down the hall. He got to into one of the storage lockers, and he brought out a yellow gas tank.

He turned on the valve and said, "Everyone, pay close attention. The three of us men are going to hold it down. Londie, act fast. Take this mask here, connect the hose, and snap it on her head. Only then can we actively see how this has happened."

Yolanda asked, "Terry what did you—"

"Heidi, this isn't the time! Do as I say!" Terry yelled, and he looked at the men, "Emilio, legs. Hitch, Arms. I'm going to try and hold the jaw shut long enough to put the mask on. Get ready."

Emilio went to the bottom of the bed, Hitch to the side, and Terry put on a pair of black chemical gloves. He looked at Yolanda, and she nodded, ready with the mask, "Three, two, now!"

Emilio clamped down on the being's legs as Hitch tried with his strength to keep her arms from jerking too much. Terry held the jaw in position, and Yolanda swiftly put the band over the head, and Terry removed his hands as the gas turned on.

The body slowly adjusted, the violent jerking became less and less until finally, the body was entirely still the only movement coming from the chest as it breathed.

Yolanda looked at Terry and asked in a state of shock, "What the hell did you make, Frankenstein?!"

Terry was silent as he looked at the being before him. Five minutes went by, and he said, "I can't believe it. I considered it was a one in a million chance, but this is far above and beyond what I thought would happen." He looked at Yolanda, "I'll tell you what this is. You see, this is the body of one Justine Finch. The effect we just saw is what I considered to be a one in a million chance of happening. Still, I think the positronic brain we put inside for Sylvia because all the body needed was a live processor and the brain before installation was freshly extracted, what can only be called the soul or essence or whatever you term it, was given new life. Sylvia had direct control for a good while. But I really wonder—hold on."

Terry plugged a cord into the implant jack in the body's skull, and he went to his monitor. Yolanda and the other followed, "Yes," he said, "It's as I feared. As good as this method is, it is not sustainable. The positronic brain gave new life to the spirit of the body. Sure, we removed the organic brain, but the sad truth is, human bodies are not meant to be used in this method. Our corporeal envelopes are unique to us. When we did this and put Sylvia in there, we inadvertently caused Justine to slowly come back to life segment by segment."

Terry put up a chart on the forward screen two charts, one of a brain blue and the other in yellow. "See, there's this blue portion. This is Sylvia in full control, but over the last twelve hours, this—" he pointed to the yellow, "has gradually been increasing and likely has been increasing since she started walking around in the body. The host's innate functions simply saw this as another chance to live and much like our own bodies fighting off an infection, even though Sylvia's consciousness was copied into the brain, it was not the raw brain. Because of that, Sylvia had immense control, almost total for a good while. As the body acclimated to its new conditions, so to speak, it forced Sylvia out, terminating its external connection, the same way our bodies' white blood cells fight off infections. Yolanda, you said she was getting hotter with the messages?"

"Yes, she had a temperature that was skyrocketing. That's why I insisted you shut off the transplant." Yolanda said.

"I thought so, it realized that the transplant was using energy that the body needed for itself in all reality. Therefore, in its own rejection of Sylvia, spiked her temperature instated dizziness and small seizures. It literally was forcing her out because she didn't belong. The voice she heard, it wasn't a voice of her imaginings, it was Justine."

"How, Terry?" Yolanda said, "You explain how that happened?"

"Well, think of it like this. We don't know actively what becomes of the soul in death. Equally, we didn't directly kill Justine. We put her in cryosleep after sufficient training and programming. Then we killed her because well, Sylvia wanted to do this. However, because the death is quite recent, I would say that because her vessel is made to be active with a new sense of a motherboard, well, the soul wherever it was, came back. Piece by piece. Only in the last few hours did the body legitimately forcibly expel Sylvie. Why? Because it had control again over itself, and the expulsion was simply the last part. Much like a violent bout of diarrhea to cleanse your body of the virus."

"So, are we—are we dealing with a literal reanimated Justine?" Yolanda said with a bit of fright as she looked at the body strapped to the bed.

"Yes and no. Due to the very nature of this procedure, the brain we have used is kind of a blank slate. In many ways, especially given we killed the girl specifically for said purpose and put the brain quite soon after, well. I genuinely think we have a form of the spirit, the soul, etc. That said, the form we have is nothing more than primordial humanity at its base function. However, given the proper tools, we could have it remember key things. But the simple fact that Sylvie said there was a voice in her head makes me think it just needed her out to fully reassert itself."

"So, wait," Emilio said, "because she was literally freshly killed, when we put in the new brain in place of her old one, what, the spirit didn't pass on?"

Terry nodded, "I think you're right. But, as I said, the raw connection between the two would have to be studied. But that said, this definitely something else."

At that moment, there was a deep hum, and Terry looked at the North-Gate principle terminal and saw the five lights at the base light up. Terry took the headpiece and said, "Sylvie, Sylvia, can you hear me?"

Sylvia's voice spoke through the P.A., "Yes, Terry. I can hear you. I'm back. But what happened?"

Terry asked, "What do you remember?"

"Sickness, dizziness, numbness, and when I got to the infirmary, horrible pain like someone was twisting my guts in on themselves and yet equally it was a cramp that wasn't of the body. It was like being literally squeezed out like toothpaste."

"Well, we figured out more or less what happened." Terry said, "Sadly, the risk that I had accounted for, happened. The host was not sufficiently dead for a long enough time to be genuinely dead, so you would not have feedback. In many ways, it was rejecting your very presence from the moment you entered and opened the body's eyes. From that moment, it was simply replacing you, no different than you being a virus."

"_Honestly, I think that makes a whole lot of sense. That said, I'm not exactly surprised." _

Yolanda asked, scratching her head, "Wait—How are you not surprised?"

"_Well, it makes sense. See, it has happened with the supercomputer itself; as a matter of fact, it was in the Lyoko Log earlier. See, Yumi and Odd faced my same dilemma albeit, a bit more comfortably. See, they got their own bodies switched. The bodies yearning for the respective original hosts began to reject similarly. But because of our active medium in different in design, I get the point. Alright. So, well, that's done. But it's not over. We still have the original piece in place." _

Yolanda nodded, "That's true. And it will be easier in your current position to do what you need to."

"_Indeed. So, how will we explain Jacqueline's absence?" _Sylvia asked.

Yolanda replied after a moment, "I'll make a call."

"_Valid point. Alright. Terminate the unit on the bed and begin the upload process and install an inhibitor. We're set back a tiny bit, but that's alright. We need to cement certain bids to get hold of Assendorp's most vital elements. We're still monitoring the board, so we have a bit of time. Alright, all back to stations. Londie, wait out at least 24 hours before going back. Everyone else, as you were." _

Yolanda spoke, "With respect, I will be required back as soon as the news breaks. In what I am implementing, I've given my own alibi and clearance back onto grounds."

"_Hmm, quite efficient. Very well, go back to your station." _Sylvia replied.

Back at Kadic, Aelita was silently waiting. It was very quiet now. The gentle song of crickets was the only sound she heard apart from the faint blowing of the A.C. next door. Aelita looked across at the bed that lay empty. The trunk that had not been opened since mid-afternoon. It was odd. An hour remained before bed-check, and Aelita, for the first time, was afraid. Something was wrong. Something had changed. She didn't know what it was, but something had changed. Jacqui was never late. It was nearly eight-thirty, she was often in the room by now. But no Jacqui was in sight. Aelita's ear repeatedly twitched, hoping that it was Jacqui's' footfall she heard, but it wasn't.

It was soon nine o'clock, and the heavy footfall of Jim was heard approaching closer and closer. No, not just Jim, someone else. Aelita closed her eyes and pretended to sleep as the door opened, she listened and was quiet. No words were made, no booming voice raised. Instead, the door closed gently. Aelita sat up, and she heard as she heard the following.

"She's asleep Jim, we'll let her know with the others in the morning." It was Delmas's voice, soft but Aelita could tell, troubled.

"I know, sir. I'm sorry for her. I—I didn't think this would have happened—not on our watch." Jim replied, his voice for the first time, breaking.

"It's alright, Jim. It's not your fault." Delmas said.

"But, Sir, she was under my watch, she—" Jim softly cried, doing his best to keep from breaking down.

Aelita's eyes shot open as she listened, "James, James, it's alright. Go to bed. I must call her parents tomorrow and arrange the pickup of her things. This is a very dark day for Kadic, but we have to weather this. Go on, Jim, go to bed."

Jim was heard to hurriedly depart, and Aelita silently wept as she neared the door before she heard Jean-Pierre say after a sigh, "Oh, John, what would you have done? What am I to do? I don't know. He wasn't wrong in giving what he gave. Maybe, maybe if I had just listened, this wouldn't have happened at all. Maybe—just maybe."

Delmas was heard to saunter away, and Aelita swallowed hard as she looked at the trunk at the foot of the bed. A chest now without an owner. Aelita gently lay on her bed, and she took out her phone. It was on its last legs of battery life. She closed it, and with a sigh, she put it up on her dresser. Staring at the ceiling, Aelita knew she couldn't sleep, and so she turned on the radio and set it to low.

The announcer was Phillipe Germain, a very welcome voice on a night like tonight, "And this song is for all the night owls out there. Those who may have just had a bad day and need a bit of comfort, a bit of hope. This is Phillipe Germain wishing you goodnight, and no matter how hard it seems, there are always those who are there for you."

The song began to play, and as the song was indeed mellow. Aelita gently drifted off to sleep as she listened to the notes, and soft vocals. Despite all the pain she was feeling, the gentle rhythm and mesmerizing saxophone truly made her at ease.

Just you know why  
Why you and I  
Will by and by  
Know true love ways

Sometimes we'll sigh  
Sometimes we'll cry  
And we'll know why  
Just you and I  
Know true love ways

Throughout the days  
Our true love ways  
Will bring us joys to share  
With those who really care

Sometimes we'll sigh  
Sometimes we'll cry  
And we'll know why  
Just you and I  
Know true love ways

Throughout the days  
Our true love ways  
Will bring us joys to share  
With those who really care

Sometimes we'll sigh  
Sometimes we'll cry  
And we'll know why  
Just you and I  
Know true love ways.


	53. Chapter 53

_**AN: This chapter came after a lot of thought and a lot of prayer and contemplation because I had no idea just how I wanted to proceed with my plot. But, thanks be to God, it turned out so much better than I'd hoped. Oh, by the way, after some help from a very good friend, I have decided that I will be going to make Watt Pad my new second home for this fic. Don't worry! I will still upload here as always. But Watt Pad is my second home. Just in case my worst fears come true. **_

_**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, review, and I'll see you next week.-Pagliacci-11 **_

Chapter 53

The morning was very quiet. Not even the birds had fallen into their usual habit of singing. Jean-Pierre looked outside his office window at the courtyard below. He knew the time it was seven-thirty in the morning. In an hour he had to make and address to the student body. However, this was not the worry on his mind.

As Jean-Pierre watched over the vacant courtyard, he thought, "_Something's up. Why would she arrive only to stay roughly a week and some change and then leave? It's not her style. But she's gone now. I received the news from Yolanda last night. An apparent auto accident. She had her school ID on her and they transferred the call to Yolanda who relayed the news. No, something is not right. It just isn't, I feel it." _

Jean-Pierre slowly walked away from his window and he sat at his desk. He reached into the second drawer of his desk and pulled out his own field kit.

Popping it open, he read the following, _Kit disabled._

"Damn," he said silently, "I guess I have to do this the old-fashioned way."

He called Nicole at the front desk, "Hello, Nicole, please do not allow any incoming calls or visitors for the space of an hour. I need to make a private call."

Once he had finished, he hung up, picked up the receiver again, and flipped the switch underneath his phone's stand. There was a red flash three times and Jean-Pierre proceeded to dial.

There was a call for three rings and a voice on the other line said, "_Code In." _

Delmas replied, "ED0157843."

The voice replied, "How may I help you, Delmas?"

"I need to be transferred to Internal Affairs."

"Anyone in particular?"

"Hopper."

"Hopper has been reassigned. I can transfer you to Ishiyama if that will do."

"It'll have to."

There was a slight tone and Akiko spoke on the other line, "Wells here."

"Good Morning, Miss. Wells. We have an update to the account."

"Okay, go ahead."

"As you rightly told me, the Man from Uncle was a great series. However, I wasn't particularly impressed with the ending." (_As you predicted, Sylvia would surface. Unfortunately, she has apparently been killed.)_

"I more than understand it's not for everyone. What didn't you like about it?" (_Okay, how did you allow that to happen? How did it happen?)_

"I just felt there were a few inconsistencies. I didn't exactly care for the cast, and besides, it was one of those forgettable things." (_It's not my fault. She blindsided me when she arrived, and apparently, she died in an auto accident.)_

"Inconsistency, especially in serials happen by default. Tell you what, we can meet over coffee and discuss your thoughts in-depth. How does around three sound, when we're both free?" (_It is your fault when it's your campus and security detail. Here's what's happening. You will meet me on the south entrance and talk about just what happened. Be there thirty minutes after you break the news."_

"It sounds good. We can have a bit of coffee and catch up. It's been a while since we talked anyway." (_Very well. I'll meet you at the south entrance after 8:30. It will take a bit of time coordinating counseling for the children.)_

"Sounds fantastic, man. I'll see you then and I have a new series for you to check out, another classic, Dr. Who." (_I would start that coordination now. I'll see you after 8:30 and you are being given a security detail on campus. He'll be easily explained. His name is Lou.)_

"Is there anything else you wanna' talk about when we meet up?" (_Is there anything else I should know?)_

"No, it's all good. I'll talk to you later." (_Nothing that immediately concerns you. I'll be there on the dot, be on time.) _

The line dropped and Delmas sighed before he hung up his receiver and turned off the switch. He knew it was an immense gamble, the overall risk to an outside observer wouldn't even be worth it. But Delmas knew that if the North-Gate revolution failed, he'd be suffering on a greater scale than had he not participated at all. He had joined North-Gate to feed his ambition, an ambition that culminated in Sissi's protection and care after her mother's death. That culmination fed by desperation is what led him to make the deal he had made. For a while it had worked, and Delmas had contented himself with what he had essentially signed up for. His bargain signed with the blood of Justine Finch had benefitted him and Elisabeth especially. The position he yearned for was given to him, his competition made obsolete due to his qualifications and performance.

As he reclined in his chair, he contemplated on just what had gone wrong. In many ways, it wasn't even what had gone wrong. To be more accurate, it was what Delmas knew was on some level in an official doctrine of North-Gate. He knew the raw levels of change would be swift in some cases, slow in others. Apart from that, Delmas also knew that should North-Gate succeed, on some level, life would never be the same again. He had met with Sylvia, or rather the North-Gate node after he had become termed a 'sufficient performer of merit' and he had been privileged to talk with her for a full session until he had run out of questions.

Most of Sylvia's answers were vague, as were many answers of leaders to lower-tier workers. However, the theme he realized was that of equality. He had come to learn her views of justice, learn her grievances with criminal justice and in her answers to his quandaries regarding the subject, he came to understand that she had indeed put thought into her actions. She wasn't without reason, she wasn't insane.

However, what unnerved Delmas was the statement, that encompassed her philosophy, "When the regime comes, I will have no use of graft and no use of corruption. Those who are in their positions under my structures have been elected due to capability and performance. Not words, nor favors, but through actions under constant pressure.

I have seen the graft, like mold it spreads. I have seen the juries how they are bought. The judge how he is 'incentivized.' I have seen it, and I hate it. Therefore, I say to you, Jean-Pierre, never again. Never again will the people know this pain. The pain of being wronged due to injustice, bribery, lies. Not on my watch. I have solutions I have systems beyond your comprehension. I have not only theory but life experience to show me what I must do. I have looked at data and statistics. I have look at active works versus vain and stupid declarations of the mouth. I watch and I record. I have done this for years. Thus, when the revolution comes, the mold will be cleansed. It will be wiped away. Those who have been observed, have been weighed and from that, their fate has been determined."

In many ways, Jean-Pierre knew what was coming. The systems would not be the same, because a new system would take their place. A system that was built on a different form of order. The people who ran the older systems apparently had use, but only so far. Once they had been used up, they would be, 'repurposed.' That very word chilled Delmas to the bone. Only the very highest in the circle knew what it meant but to Delmas, if you had no use of corruption, and these people one accuses of being corrupt were, what would one do with them? Repurpose them for what? That is when Delmas knew that in all reality, even though it was highly foolish, even more stupid to risk it, and it almost certainly end in failure, he turned his allegiance over to what North-Gate termed as Decay.

Delmas was running a dangerous game that he knew it was a fifty-fifty chance that he would be decimated. Equally he feared what his mind had been able to connect. On some level, he had helped North-Gate get this far, and in the end, when held accountable, he would have to own up to that. However, this was not Delmas's fault. It was simply loyalty to the old system, loyalty that in many ways had gone unquestioned because it largely worked and benefitted him. Why then did Delmas go to North-Gate? It was not because of his position he held, at least not directly. It was for his daughter. Jean-Pierre equally didn't want to live his life a relative nobody. Jean-Pierre in his heart, wanted to guide and shape and protect children to make them ready in ways he was not fortunate to have in his own upbringing.

North-Gate in time he saw as a means to an end, his end. An end that if looked at was neither fully self-serving nor charitable. They offered to help him. They offered a pass to the dream he wanted. They offered him a place of respect. A place of value to do as he loved and do it well. Why then did he go to the decayed? Because as many people of the world, Jean-Pierre simply wanted to be on the winning side. He wanted safety and security. Equally, he knew his hands were far from clean. But because he had dedicated himself to this work for the past fifteen years, he knew he had enough clout to get what he needed, to cripple North-Gate. But what scared him most, was Sylvia's appearance and sudden disappearance. He was scared by the possibility that Sylvia had conducted 'phantom appraisal.' If that were the case, he knew on some level, he had to defect sooner than later.

Jean-Pierre moaned in frustration and gave a sigh as he looked at the wall above his door. All this was for another time, he had to perform the necessary functions considering the recent events for right now.

Pressing his intercom button, he said, "_Children, an assembly will be called within half an hour at eight o' clock in the gymnasium. Attendance is mandatory for every student, there are no exemptions. Again, an assembly is to be held at 8 o' clock in the gymnasium. Attendance is mandatory, there are no exemptions."_

In many ways, this was the first time that Jean-Pierre had to give an address of this nature. He knew he had to coordinate everything as best he could. Equally he had half an hour to get a majority of legwork done.

Pressing the button that linked him to Nicole's desk, Delmas said, "Nicole, gather the staff as well as Nurse Yolanda and ask for them to meet in my office please."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Delmas, but Yolanda is gone for the next two days, citing family emergency. I can however, ask Mr. Beck to take her stead in whatever capacity you may need."

"No, it's alright, Nicole. What happened for her emergency? Nothing too bad, I hope?"

"She didn't say. However, she forfeited her own overtime towards Mr. Beck in accordance with the schedule. It's all marked, dated, and signed by her. Whatever it was it was immediate. You know Yolanda, she never goes around the proper procedures unless quite dire."

"Huh, I see. Well, that being the case, I need you to contact Sheffield Solutions and ask for a supply of counselors to be here for the students. Also, as I have requested please contact the teachers on campus and have them meet me here immediately."

"Of course, Mr. Delmas."

Odd was sitting with Aelita and Jeremy, Jeremy who had received an emergency text from Aelita. Upon hearing Delmas's mandatory assembly, Jeremy asked, "What in the world is going on here? There's a lot happening over just a short time."

Odd nodded, "Tell me about it. But we both know that regardless of what's going on, a mandatory assembly is never good."

Aelita was silent a moment and said, "Jeremy, Odd, I know why the assembly is being called." She looked at the two, "Jacqueline is likely seriously injured or dead."

"What?!" Odd exclaimed shooting up from his seat at the table.

Aelita looked at him, "Keep it down, please." She sighed, "I wouldn't have said anything but last night, Delmas and Jim came to my door. I pretended to be asleep and I heard something that for the first time ever, I heard Jim silently sobbing. Not crying, not whimpering, _sobbing. _I heard Delmas then tell Jim that he would address the students about this. Something tells me, that whatever happened, it's going to get a little tense around here. I can't say for sure, and I don't know what's prompting me to say it, but that's what I have a strong feeling towards anyway."

Odd groaned as did Jeremy, "So, you're saying we might have to go back into the whole key card mess again?!" Odd asked as if truly in lament.

Jeremy shook his head, "That was different. But I take your point. North-Gate through John Barrow introduced the concept of security like this in the wake of the attack on the station. It is not too far-fetched for Delmas to go this hypothetical extra step. He'd be more than justified, like it or not."

Odd shook his head, "Yeah, I hate to admit it but you're right. However, there's one thing we can genuinely count on. That in all reality, Delmas is a softie. He won't do anything too ridiculous not like North-Gate would. If that's the case, let him do as he needs to do and you, Ulrich and I will simply bide our time and figure out select weaknesses."

"Yeah." Jeremy said as he pondered, "The problem is, you have to look at this in a grand-scale effect as well. With something like this happening to Jacqueline, Kadic's genuine security will be put under scrutiny. That's the main downside. If it is, yes, we may lose a few classmates, but equally as much as a softie as Delmas may be, he may be pressured by powers beyond his control to keep a tighter leash on the students."

Odd sighed, "The sad truth is, things won't every be the same here. It's like one of my cousins. Back when he was senior, a girl went and hanged herself. It was one of those things were most people can understand the aspect of you know accidental deaths, which, if you're right Aelita, this could easily be a thing more easily contained. However, with suicides, it lingers over places like this. Regardless, the campus, and Kadic is one of them can't take too many risks be it caused by a lunatic with a computer or not."

"You're right, Odd." Aelita said as she got up, "The only thing we can reasonably do is sit still and see where the chips will fall. At any rate, you are right. Things won't be the same."

Jeremy looked at Aelita and could see a look on her face he asked, "How do you feel, Aelita? You spent a week with Jacqueline, you had more exposure to her than any one of us. How are you feeling about all this?"

"I honestly don't know Jeremy." Aelita said, "This is just one of those things where honestly, I feel a bit numb. I don't know how to feel. I only was immensely concerned when she didn't come back at eight thirty like she'd had the habit of doing. Jacqui was never late, always punctual. The problem was made worse when bed I heard what I heard outside my door. Jeremy she was only sixteen years old."

Jeremy and Odd were silent and Aelita replied, "I don't know how this is going to work out for any of us. I equally am somewhat upset that for all the advice she may have tried to give me, I just didn't want to hear it. It didn't help that she was—overly certain about everything. But it's no excuse now. This is our last year here. Who knew it would have a start like this?"

Odd and Jeremy silently nodded. They more than knew that a lot was going on. They equally knew that they couldn't control everything, they couldn't weather every storm.

"Excuse me, Aelita," a voice called out. Aelita turned and saw Magali was approaching.

Aelita turned to face her, "How can I help you?"

"I was looking for Jacqui. I have a few ideas to help with an idea we were talking about yesterday. Do you know where I could find her?"

Aelita shook her head, "No, I don't sorry. She's usually around the rec-room this time of day. You might want to try there."

"That's the thing, I know that. But she wasn't there." Magali shrugged, "Alright, well, I'll keep looking. If you see her, let her know I'm looking for her."

Aelita nodded, "I will, no worries."

Magali departed and Odd asked, "Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

"No need to." Aelita said as she watched Magali leave, "It's better she heard it through the official channel anyway. If I told her what I know, it would raise a lot of questions, especially given Magali's inquisitive predisposition. All in all, it's a situation I'd prefer to avoid."

Meanwhile, Magali had walked back to her room and as she opened the door, she saw a letter on her pillow. Picking up the letter, her eyes sparked with life as she read the following.

_Dear Magali,_

_Your file has been reviewed and we are delighted to report that you have been accepted to Materhorne Academy. Your tuition and books will be paid for through the Hauser Scholarship and you will be allowed to move in on September 1__st__ of this year. _

_We greatly anticipate your arrival and we wish you the best as a Materhorne Monarch._

_Sincerely,_

_Rubella Barnes, Secretary of Student Admissions._

Magali smiled brightly and she gave a high-pitched squeal. Materhorne was the academy that she had wanted to get into for a very long time. Even though her parents were both alumni of the academy, she had to more than show her capability. And now, four months later, she had the confirmation she had so desperately desired.

"_A great thing to tell Jacqui when I see her." _Magali thought. Taking the letter, Magali secured it in a small lockbox and began to write in her diary.

Soon, the appointed time came. Jean-Pierre had briefed the staff on what he desired of their duties and once the children had been assembled, Jean-Pierre stood with the teachers beside him and he spoke.

"Children, it with a heavy heart that I announce, one of your fellow students, Jacqueline Grey was killed in an automobile accident last night. I know not many of you knew her and equally there were some of you who knew her more than others. That said, those of you who knew her and now know this news, know that the teachers as well as myself are here to help you. If you have any troubles or questions, please feel free to talk to us.

As a result of what has transpired, there will be a new policy at Kadic. The campus will undergo full lockdown promptly at nine-thirty every night. Every student will be given new ID cards and at nine sharp in the evening, will be required to use that ID card to log into a server and it will act as your form of accountability in addition to a physical identification by one of the staff."

The students groaned as a collective but Delmas for the first time, spoke firmly, "I don't care if you like this or not. This is the new policy. Easily, we could go back to the system, which I know you all hated, the checking-in and out of every class and to every substation of the school. However, given the circumstances, this is the more lenient approach. So, you have a choice, children. Cooperate for the sake of your combined safety or leave."

The students quieted down somewhat and Delmas continued his speech that was for the most part uniform in this situation. As he went on, Aelita saw Magali two rows down stoic in expression and writing. Equally, she could tell by how Magali gripped the pencil in her hand, the whiteness of her fingertips, that in many ways, she was angry.

"_In many ways it's natural, I suppose," _Aelita thought, "_Magali probably found in Jacqui a kindred spirit. As abrasive and blunt as Jacqui could be, it didn't mean she wouldn't have sympathizers. Magali is somewhat the same. However, what did Jacqui see in her? it's an interesting aspect now that I think about it. Someone who's largely unknown to an outsider, and the outsider takes a liking to her almost automatically. Hmm. I will have to talk to Magali privately. Because, just maybe, there's something I'm missing." _

After the assembly let out, Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita were walking out towards the courtyard.

"I can't believe it!" Odd exclaimed, "We're back to checking in and out again."

Aelita replied, "In all fairness, it could have been a whole lot worse. We simply must check in and out every morning and evening. It's not a complete regimentation as it was before. The bonus aspect being we don't have to fight XANA so really, what's to be complained about?"

Jeremy looked at her, "You know Sylvia is likely biding her time. I'm not saying she's an active threat, but she more than bears watching. But you are right. It's not exactly a downside because well, how would you say it, Odd? A situation where we're not friendly but we're not enemies just yet."

Odd looked at him, "Frosty neutral. But I don't even care about Delmas's policy because I just remembered something you're forgetting Jeremy. None of us will be here. Did you forget that?"

Jeremy looked at him, "Not really. But then, I'm simply going into the Kadic extension program. That way I can continue getting my education while equally keeping an eye on the supercomputer in case our friend decides to go genocidal on us"

Aelita shook her head, "I don't think she would, Jeremy. After talking to Sylvia as I have, she doesn't do anything without a sufficient reason."

"Every dictator in history has had a sufficient reason, Aelita." Jeremy replied, "They just needed time to formulate it. Hitler wrote his book, Stalin became disillusioned after seminary, or even in much older instances, it's the simple reason, 'I can do better than you.'"

Aelita sighed, "At any rate, with the Kadic program extension program we can stay close to the supercomputer, you're right."

"But here's the issue with that. It's something I've been meaning to ask for a while." Odd replied as he stopped and faced Jeremey, "How are you paying for her ride to the extension program? You got lucky with the whole scholarship coverage from here. In my experience, don't ask for a miracle and expect lightening to strike twice in your favor."

"I've thought of that as well." Jeremy said with a smile, "The thing is Aelita has kept her grades exemplary mostly for just this purpose. We knew we had to stay in the good graces of academia if we wanted Aelita to make the most of her situation as well as go through life generally unseen. The whole medical form thing with Yolanda was a wake-up call so we patched that up. That was admittedly a bit of an oversight. Additionally, I knew if we kept her grades to the top tier of the student body, we could make the most of scholarships befitting such academic prowess."

"So, you're telling me that if I worked on my stuff and made the most of it, I could get a lot of my stuff paid for?" Odd asked quite surprised.

"Yes. You wanted to get into college and prepare for it, that's how its done." Jeremy said, "Good grades and sufficient GPA only matter to colleges."

Odd smirked, "You can say that again. However, the sad truth is that school and college just don't prepare you for the real world, sad to say."

Jeremy smiled, "How do you figure that?"

Odd shrugged, "Because I know it doesn't. Now, to its credit, It gives you an overview of possibly what to expect in a field. But nobody knows the ins and outs of something until someone actively experiences what they study rather than just read about it. Take my father for example. Actor, good man with a relatively pleasant disposition. Went to college for four years and came out an economics major. But he said, the sad truth was he want to university and it was the biggest overblown thing in the world.

As he has said to me many times, 'Odd, the only thing college is good for is business connections for the bigger world. Even then, that's fifty-fifty.' The main take away for me is as he said, 'learning how those up top stick it to the man underneath them. You learn their tax laws, you learn ride offs, you learn all manner of exemptions to everyday laws that apply _to the appropriate income bracket_.' So, to me, a lot of this, education is good and all, but the real world is far from theories and no one has time for theories."

Aelita looked at him, "You sound like Sylvia. All she does is hate those who have more than her and those who as she says abuse their power—"

Odd snapped, "Well what you may not want to admit is maybe your sister is onto something! My God, it's not that hard to understand how she got to that conclusion! You must understand that in all reality, some people never struggle, never see struggle, wouldn't know struggle until it came busting down their door. Sissi, Emily, Ulrich, Jeremy, even me, we don't know what actual life is. Sad part is your sister does! She knows a bit _too much_ of how hard life is. And really what I think your sister wants is some actual and I mean entirely genuine equal treatment for all. Not exemptions because of monetary station or privilege but she wants those rich bastards to come off their high horses and pay what's in her mind and in everyday law, _owed_."

Aelita and Jeremy looked at Odd stunned, "Have you—have you been talking to Sylvia?" Aelita asked.

"While you've been having your emotional crisis with Jacquie, rest her soul, I've been talking to your sister, yes. Funny thing. You listen to her enough; you can see her point. I don't agree with everything, believe me. But I can more than see her vision of things. Additionally, considering her abrupt integration into the system, to put it lightly, I can see her anger at most concepts of matriarchy. That said, she explained it in a much broader stroke than that. Your mother worked for people and indeed, still does, who are truly as she calls them, the leash holders. Your mother is only a portion of the problem, Aelita. Sylvia wants to cut out the problem root and stem and leave nothing left.

Sylvia has seen the tyranny the leash holders impose, and she's shown me. And that's why Sylvia wants you as an ally because only with your direct control of Lyoko can her vision be achieved, and she's honest about that. The thing is, she cannot force you to do it. But as she told me, and as you saw, the leash holders have no problem with that premise."

Aelita looked at him, "Odd," her voice grew profoundly stern in tone, "stay the hell away from her. She's evil, she's a fucking monster in terms of what she's willing to do. Don't let her deceive you."

"No, that's the point. I know what she's willing to do, but I have no issue with it. Because it's well-reasoned, it does need a bit of tweaking, but it does have its benefits. The sad truth is our world is never going to be the same ever again. And honestly, _you _are the one to blame for that."

Aelita looked at him with a mixture of dumbstruck and infuriated, "What?!" She asked as if she had been shot, "What did you just say?!"

"Just what I said," Odd said, "I'll repeat it. Our world will never be the same and its your fault for dooming us to this current reality. I say this because you were given the choice not us. You chose to bring Jeremy back from the dead as opposed to restoring things to how they were, ridding us of what would become North-Gate. And that, perhaps, is one of the saddest truths of all."

Aelita for the first time in a show of force, rush forward, seizing Odd by the collar and with strength that surprised Odd, slammed him against the wall, "My fault? My fault?! I saved the only person I care about, the only person who without him we would not stand a snowball's chance in hell! What would you have done? Huh?!" Her eyes flashed and voice rumbled with passion coming out in a snarling growl, "Tell me, what would _you _have done?!"

Odd was amazed. The wrath, the pitilessness, the fear, the raw passion that was mixed in a sordid stew in Aelita's eyes terrified him. He was about to speak but so stunned was he his normally quick words were failing him.

Aelita slammed him firmly against the wall, "Answer me!"

Odd spoke but out of a growing fear, "I would have let him die!"

Aelita's eyes went wide, her mouth slightly agape. She let Odd go and she backed up slightly, "That's—what you would have done, huh? You would have sacrificed the life of your friend in order to restore things as they were? Is that what you're saying?"

Odd was hesitant to answer but he fixed his shirt and said, "Yes. We all must make sacrifices in the grand scheme to achieve a greater goal. We have to—"

The sudden sting but above all the force of the incoming hand was what genuinely jarred Odd. Odd winced and he felt the warm telltale fluid start to run freely from his nose, "God's sake." He said barely audible.

"You listen to me." Aelita said, her voice soft but firm, "I lost my father already to a monster. I won't lose the boy I love to another psychopath no matter how noble the intent. Whatever, Kool-Aid she's giving you, spit it out, and think about what's implied. You're dangerously close, Odd Della-Robbia. You're dangerously close to becoming like your new master, willing to make a currency of lives for the sake of noble vision.

So, watch what you say, be careful as to what you hear. Because," she leaned in very close to him, "if you truly are willing to do this, to go to her. To sacrifice the man I love, I'll put you in a place where I assure you, you will _never _be found."

Aelita backed up and she reached into her vest pocket and took out a thicker handkerchief. She tore it down the middle and headed to a nearby water-fountain. Once saturating the handkerchief with the water, she balled the handkerchief and squeezed it tightly in her hands before coming back to Odd.

"Press this against your upper frenulum. It'll cut off blood flow from the nose, so you'll clot quicker." She put the moist small ball in his hand and walked off.

Jeremy looked silently at Odd and said after a moment, "She means just under your top lip and between your top gum." He then headed off following Aelita.

Odd did as instructed and although undignified and slightly uncomfortable, it was bearable. Odd went to the drinking fountain ensuring no one was around, cleaned off the blood that had been shed from his nosebleed. He had just said what he had honestly felt. But he knew equally as he reflected on it, it was not the right thing to say at the right time either. But, even if that weren't the case, when would have been the right time?

Even so, he knew Aelita had a point. Sure. She could paint it as he was a backup form of plan in case Sylvia did go rogue, but even then, Aelita showed her true feelings in that moment. Odd equally knew she was serious upon the threat she made. Aelita did not make threats, not as a general thing or even in a moment of anger. But this time she did, and because of a threat being practically nonexistent, he took her words even more seriously.

Even so, Odd knew he wasn't in the wrong for the raw aspect of statement of fact. Equally, that Aelita wasn't wrong in wanting to keep the one person who still mattered to her very much alive. Odd remembered the saying, "What's the use prolonging life when life is not worth living?" Did Odd want to make a sacrificial pawn out of Jeremy? Not immediately, especially if it could have been avoided.

But after the time he had spent with Sylvia and learning things from another point of view, additionally seeing the logs of actions, Odd couldn't call her evil, especially not a monster. That said, Odd accepted that sacrifices had to be made. Even though he knew Aelita had lost her father to destroy XANA, Odd knew that to sacrifice Jeremy would have finished her.

There was something else now that was a problem, something horrifying and something Odd felt that Sylvia would not exactly forgive him for. He had overplayed his hand in that he revealed Sylvia needed Aelita to achieve her vision. Unintentionally, he'd given Aelita the upper hand, and knowing Aelita's eye for detail, she'd be more than conditional in her negotiations with Sylvia from now on.

Odd groaned in frustration and he headed quickly towards the hermitage. Once in the sewers he headed quickly towards the factory as fast as he could go.

Once at the boiler room entrance, he said, "Sylvia, it's Odd. I need to talk to you. It's really important!"

A buzzer sounded and the door unlocked as Odd headed through to the supercomputer. He sat in the chair and placed the mantle on his head. There was set of beeps and soon, Odd saw the avatar of Sylvia before him.

"What's going on, Odd? What's particularly the matter?" She asked as she stood before him.

"Here's the issue. I guess I kinda' flew off the handle and I mouthed off to Aelita and well, I may have let some stuff slip."

"What kind of stuff, love? Be to the point." Sylvia said.

"I let loose that I was talking to you, I let loose that I agreed with your vision of things, and the greater issue I well—we have is that Aelita knows that you need her to run Lyoko if you need your vision to work. And knowing how she is, she'll play hardball in negotiations from hereon out. Look, I'm very sorry, it's just—"

"Odd, Odd," Sylvia said with a soft voice, "It's alright. Relax, don't worry. There are plans for these things. Question, how long ago was this? It could not have been too long as you have recently come here and are out of breath. So, I'd say, 15-20 minutes? Is that about right?"

Odd nodded, "Yes, that's about right. Look, Sylvia, I know how you really like for things to be—"

"Ssh." She said as she gently placed her finger on his lips, "You're not thinking clearly because you're worried and before you were angry. The sad truth is you're with your trouble. We can fix this, okay? But, in future, hold your temper, hold your tongue, and let it just roll off your back. It doesn't matter if things get hairy. It's inevitable. Just relax, breath in and out. I'll take care of this."

Odd nodded and took a deep breath in and out and when he woke up, he was back in the real world in the chair.

"_Odd," _Sylvia's voice came from the computer,_ "I greatly appreciate you coming here and you telling me this. But, believe me, it's not the end of the world. Head back to Kadic. It's okay if my sister knows my need for her, because it's the truth. So, in future, hold your tongue, and just cool it. Don't let your emotions deviate you from your own goals. It's okay to have emotions but let them out constructively." _

Odd was surprised, "So, you're not going to a do a return to the past and negate this from your sister's memory? I mean it would be a viable tactic."

"_Viable only on the surface, love. Believe me when I say, there are greater factors at play than operational convenience. Much like a river, life and operations have ebbs and flows."_

"You mean, you win some, you lose some?"

"_Exactly. Now, head along and I'll keep an eye out for you. Remember, keep your head, keep your temper." _

Odd nodded, "I understand. Alright, I'll do my best."

As Odd departed, Sylvia sent a command signal to R&D. Maria who was there, looked at the signal and she was more than surprised. Smiling slightly, she said, "_Oh, you sly devil." _


	54. Chapter 54

_**AN: I admittedly didn't know how quite to execute this particular chapter at first. However, after a prayer, and working bit by bit, a few happy incidents led me to create this chapter. I hope you all as always read, review, and enjoy.**_

_**I would also like to thank God for helping me to reach so many new readers. I am looking at you, readers in Russia, Spain, and France. I am glad you all seem to be enjoying what I'm writing, and I hope you continue to do so. I thank all my readers and my reviewers for your steadfast viewership and honest reviews. I much appreciate all of you as you are my reason for writing as I do. **_

_**I hope to see you next chapter.**_

_**With much appreciation and love, **_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 54

Jeremy sat with Aelita in his room. They had been sitting quietly fifteen minutes or so as they mulled over what Odd had revealed in the courtyard. For both, it was equally disconcerting. Never had they thought Odd would have willfully gone to the proverbial dark side. With William, they more than understood. The single aspect with him was he let his pride get the best of him, and XANA took control. In many ways, it was justified as a form of additional benefit of defeating XANA. While William was primarily seen with indifference with two exceptions to the rule, the group knew he was equally a reason to stop XANA. Odd, however, it was different. Much different.

"I don't understand him." Aelita finally said, "Why would he do this? Why would he willfully go over to her? Why would he even entertain her theories? Does loyalty not mean anything to him?"

Jeremy was silent a moment as he listened and then replied, "You have to consider something. Odd has been changing kind of rapidly over the past few weeks. He's taken life more seriously, and therefore he is more serious. I admit it's very odd, even for him. I don't know why he's so serious, but he is. The simple fact is, we can't allow him to compromise the team."

"We can't afford to function without him, either." Aelita replied, and she sighed, "He makes up the agile component of our team. Even if he does have loyalty to us, the simple fact he has Sylvia in his ear is a matter of concern because it could highly compromise everything we've done already."

"Now, who's slightly paranoid?" Jeremy asked, "Look, XANA's gone. Our team, as good as it was, is not exactly necessary right now. But we still can operate. Odd may be taking sips of temptation punch shall we say, but he's not that dumb or selfish to compromise all of us over a change in mindset. Do you remember Brynja? We were able to talk him out of that mess. So, there's hope."

"But Brynja nearly fucked us over due to his negligence and lack of ability to honestly keep a secret. Love makes us do stupid things apparently."

"Like threatening Odd to make him disappear. Come on, Aelita, what was that?"

Aelita looked at him, "What was what? I meant it. If he did something resulting in your death, I'd get rid of him because I know he's the only compromised element. I'm not going to have William 2.0."

Jeremy shook his head, "Aelita, you're not going to—"

"Look at my face." Aelita said, and Jeremy looked at her, "I meant it, believe me, I meant it."

Jeremy replied, "I don't like what I see, Aelita. Look at what Sylvia's done to you. You were never this way before, what changed?"

"What changed? Nothing. I've always been this way. I've had my observations, and as Ulrich said, you've tried to safeguard me from them. To your credit, thank you, but the simple fact is you never could. I've learned so much while in Lyoko that despite your want to shelter me, it was a moot point. And now I know that really, we're compromised, we have to legitimately contemplate how to fix this."

"But Aelita, Sylvia's not on the offense yet. Let's use her stall time to prepare as best we can. Besides, as soon as she acts with open hostility, we can use it as our galvanization of our reasons to shut her down and knock Odd out of her illusion."

"Do you honestly think Sylvia's not on the offense? She is, but not we can see or feel. Not yet, anyway."

"Aelita," Jeremy said in a calm tone, "Are you really this paranoid, or are you mad that Odd was just very honest? That Sylvia has apparently effectively convinced him about something, he likely had to never think about until now."

Aelita sighed almost a sigh of disgust, "Why does she do this? What is she trying to achieve? Why go after Odd?"

"Aelita, what's really on your mind?" Jeremy asked.

"What's on my mind? I know there's a crouching dragon at the door. I know that this dragon is so sweet with words, but even though she admits to what she must do to bring about 'equality and change,' people will hate her for it. And I know her, I know her enough to say her response to such hatred if you cannot be reasoned with, she will kill you and not think anything of it.

That's what's on my mind, and because she's in Odd's ear, it just got a lot worse. Why did she go after him? I know why, to break our formation. She knows without Odd; we are without joy. As terrible as his jokes are, even I can admit he held me together a lot through XANA's onslaughts. And the simple fact is, she knows that."

Jeremy nodded, "How do you want to convince Odd that he should stay on our side?"

Aelita was silent a moment and said, "Honestly, I don't know. It depends on how far Sylvia has gotten with her reasoning. The problem is I know she very well can be fully evil. Sylvia has admitted she is not perfect. But the downside is with how she sees the world and how it has had its impact on her, she's not wrong in thinking as she does. But I know this person well enough that she's patient, but I think that patience has a unique limit."

"Do you have an idea of what the limit is?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita said silently almost sadly, "Yes." She turned and faced Jeremy, "She hates stupid people. She hates dumb questions, she hates anything that is literally to her and possibly others, so common sense that it may agonize her to explain it to such people. I personally would be terrified to see her raw reaction if she was asked a question that was designed for trolling her."

Jeremy looked surprised, "You mean, you think she can't take a joke?"

Aelita shook her head, "No. If you were to ask a serious question, layer that question, and then say I'm just kidding, it's a joke. That would not help the case for either freedom or mankind's survival. Because I personally think if that were to happen, Sylvia would literally kill you for wasting her time."

Jeremy looked surprised and said, "She can't be that humorless."

"She's just that serious, that's the problem."

Jeremy thought about this for a moment, "Aelita, I have a question, how long has it been since you talked to Sylvia?"

"What's that got to do with it?" Aelita asked, "I don't need frequency of communication with Sylvia. I've had enough exposure directly through numerous instances to know how she thinks. She might change, but it would take a lot of doing and not in so short a time as it's been. I'm sorry, she's just so traditional in how she is and so unflinching, if she does have change it's going to be on the heel of something that has either galled her or may have been a genuinely good experience, that's it."

"Do you think I don't know that's somewhat true?" Jeremy asked, "It is. However, it's not the entire story. But I will say this, one of the more frustrating things about Sylvia, it's hard to read her."

Aelita smiled, "It's easier than you think. I'll tell you why." She sat down, "This is someone who uses someone else's willed actions or inaction to justify what she does. It's a shockingly simple and straightforward reactionary strategy. Why else would Odd believe as he does that I'm to blame for 'dooming us' more or less? Because it's actually a natural and somewhat valid point to argue. Even though it's not technically correct.

I challenged him for an answer if given a similar situation, and he answered as he did. It shows you what he genuinely values. It's not you, nor me. The simple fact is that Odd is easily persuaded, and while we are what is considered real friends, you must also consider where he's coming from. When Lyoko was shut down, he saw this as the signaling of an end of camaraderie.

There's no reason for him to stay around with us any longer. That's why he's doing all this extra credit for his studies coming up, why he's trying to do better. It's not that Odd didn't care before, it's that he's made to care now because the real world is coming for him and it's something he doesn't exactly like. I can figure that out and have no real ulterior motive, what does it mean for someone who actually has such a motive and the tools to watch someone like him?"

Jeremy nodded, "And Sylvia's persuaded him to join her because of her vision, she's given him a new purpose, or is trying to anyway. And that's what he wants. He doesn't want to leave the action he enjoyed, and equally loves, and so he's trying to persuade us to join him. But because you say you know where Sylvia's going, you don't go with her for that reason. Correct?"

Aelita nodded, her face now sad, "Yes. Odd doesn't know. I know. I know that Sylvia has told me her intentions, she has alluded to them. Sylvia will do as she must to meet her dream. The thing is, Jeremy—" She looked at him, and Jeremy's eyes widened, seeing her pain, "a lot of people are going to die. That's the only certainty. Sylvia is not outwardly willfully evil, and for her, that's fine. But I know despite how she's trying to insist otherwise, many will die as part of 'cleansing decay.'

What's even more terrifying, she'll take pleasure doing the cleanse. All her anger, rage, and passion will become a stew, blending all that dark flavor into the cleansing process's instruments. Because it's her one outlet. Much like abstaining from sexual pleasure for a period, the reward upon blowing the load after willed abstinence is so much more fulfilling."

Jeremy silently trembled in his left hand, and Aelita saw this but said nothing. Jeremy finally spoke, "So, what you're saying is, as you understand Sylvia, she's just a closeted psychopath waiting to pounce."

"I think on many levels, she is because she was made into one. My mother is not exempt from her factor and, in fact, may be _the _factor. However, I can tell someone has lovingly dealt with Sylvia so that she doesn't go off half-cocked. Sylvia's been taught to be patient, and that patience is the other terrifying element at play. I don't know what she's looking for or looking at. But whatever it is, it's equally her ammunition and her drug to clear her conscience."

Jeremy nodded and asked, "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

Aelita looked off to the corner with her eyes and sighed, "Within an eighty percent certainty, yes."

Jeremy's eyes grew intense, "With as dark as you paint it, you make it sound as if it were ninety or heck, ninety-five. I need you to answer me honestly, what is the real likelihood of this coming to pass?"

Aelita's eyes smoldered, and she replied, "Give Sylvia and North-Gate the time, one-hundred percent. However, bear in mind I'm telling you how she's likely going about it mentally. I'm not telling you how she'll go about it physically because that's something not even I can guess. I'm telling you her state of mind and her strategy. And of that, I'm entirely certain."

Jeremy sighed, "What do you propose we do?"

Aelita looked at him, "What can we do is more accurate to the question. You and I signed on for an extension program. We don't know what's going to happen with Ulrich; Yumi is already in the extension program. With Odd neutralized or at least skeptical of things, that reduces our manpower down to two. Frankly, I'm sorry, but we're fucked. The truth is, we need to recruit someone."

Jeremy winced, "You do know just how badly that has gone over for us in the past, right? You didn't just get a second bout of amnesia."

Aelita chuckled, "Jeremy, Proxy-Pie, believe me, I know. The truth is, what other option do we have? Thing is, we could get Odd back on our side. However, the problem is that he kind of sees me as the enemy now. He feels I don't give Sylvia a fair shot. It's not quite the case. I want Sylvia to see the light. However, I'm not as hopeful as I once was. We can't easily convince Odd without hard proof, something that we lack right now."

"But what about her admission to us, the whole blowing up the station to start the birthing pains? Have you not heard that yet?"

"Of course, I have. The thing is, Sylvia deliberately hasn't shown Odd her whole hand. That's deliberate on her part. Because of the simple fact, if we told him this, it'd be her word against ours. We have no proof. So," she sighed, "what do you think we should do?"

Jeremy sighed and got up and looked out the window. He was silent for a good while. This was a regrettable position. Odd, one of their best friends, had been compromised in loyalty. It was even worse than William's fall and only on par with Sissi's willful treachery. But Sissi was vindictive in her nature, predatory even. It wasn't so with Odd. Somehow, he'd been convinced, and Jeremey hated to admit it, but Sylvia was excellent at such a practice. Her tongue was not of silver but of most beautiful platinum.

After a moment, Jeremy asked, "Do you trust your mother?"

Aelita laughed slightly and replied, "Out of the frying pan into the fire, huh? No, I don't trust my mother, not at all given what she did to Sylvia herself, hell no. Even worse, if Sylvia found we were even contemplating consulting her, we would be killed just as quickly as an ant at an anteater convention. Jeremy, to even consider such an alliance, I must question your sanity. My father put me in the computer to hide me _from_ her. So, no, not a viable option."

"Who would you suggest for recruitment if this is genuinely the path we must go down?" Jeremy asked as he continued to look out the window.

"Let's start with sensible connections that can make the most of. How do you feel about Emily?"

"Emily, huh? Possibly. I know she applied for the extension program. It'd be the same as having Yumi on board with the relatively same time window. So, on the sixty-forty odds that Ulrich can't join us, who next?"

"Well, that's where it's hard. Ulrich is a skillful fighter. I have an idea in mind, but honestly, I'm hesitant to even present it. The thing is, we can't go off of blind trust. That has hurt us one too many times in the past. So, we'd have to do some vetting but do it passively. Even though Sylvia has a dark reality in-store, we have to remember that mom's people or 'the decayed' are actively also hunting Sylvia and North-Gate by extension.

As much as I may not like Sylvia's mindset of an asinine absolutist, I wouldn't dare trust mom and her people with access to both North-Gate and the supercomputer. Additionally, Odd accidentally let something slip. Sylvia apparently needs me to have this whole thing work. So, it's going back to the old aspect of the Keys. The two systems can more than work even if it is missing the security component in XANA. However, as is highly likely the case, Sylvia's filling in those empty spaces."

Jeremy nodded, "I'm going to do a comprehensive sweep of people we can likely approach. Those we actually have a connection to and see what comes up."

Aelita nodded, "Alright, go ahead. I need to talk to Magali anyway."

Jeremy nodded, "I meant to ask you about that. Why the sudden interest?"

"Honestly, because Jacqui touched something in her. Magali doesn't do excess work for anyone. It's largely a waste of her time as she usually sees it. The simple fact that she approached us and tried to find Jacqui tells me that something was sparked. Something in her that filled her with enough of a care to apply herself fully. So, I want to figure out what Jacqui said that moved an otherwise immovable thinker."

Jeremy nodded, and Aelita headed towards the door. "Oh, by the way, how's your roommate?"

"He's not bad at all." Jeremy replied, "Nice enough and kinda' keeps to himself. He's not a loner, but he's a man of few words. Definitely more of a listener than a talker."

Aelita nodded, "Alright. Well, I'll see you soon."

Back at the North-Gate facility, Maria was looking at the node that housed Sylvia. She knew that within that node, things beyond most people's scope of comprehension took place, both good and ill. Maria had been with Sylvia since the near beginning. She had seen the best of the young woman and the absolute worst. Maria looked at a nearby calendar, and upon seeing the date, her eyes went wide.

Maria looked over at Terry, who was reading a newspaper and she said, "Terry, do you know what day it is?"

Terry replied, "Mm-hmm. Why?"

"No, the day of the month, love."

Terry looked in the upper right-hand corner of the paper, and his eyes went wide, and he looked at Maria. She nodded in return, and Terry sighed, closing the paper.

"It's been so long, I'd forgotten it." He replied.

"Is that why she's been silent the whole day?" Maria asked.

"Well, yes. But not for the reason you're thinking."

Maria nodded and pressed a button to page Sylvia's node, but Terry immediately took her finger off the switch, shaking his head, "Don't do it." he said quietly, "Well, do it if you want to, but don't expect a cheery response."

Maria looked at him strangely and pressed the button, "Hey Sylvie, Happy Birthday, Sweetie."

"_Uh, thanks. I guess." _replied the voice from inside the computer, sounding confused, "_Why are you reminding me it's my birthday."_

Maria replied, "Uh, courtesy, kindness, take your pick."

"_Thanks. I appreciate it, I suppose."  
_

"Do you not like your birthday?" Maria asked.

"_Not really. I mean, I did when I was little kid. But when I was what thirteen, I became indifferent to it. It's just another day. Much like most national holidays, it's just another day."  
_

"Are you telling me you never liked parties for even yourself?"

"_I honestly hated being the center of attention. I just wanted a nice book or a classical cd or something. I never was big into parties, not really. I mean, for everyone else, I'm sure it's a blast by my version of a party is a discussion, not a day of binging."  
_

Maria was surprised, and she looked at Terry, who smiled as if to say, "What'd I tell you?"

Maria rolled her eyes at him and said, "Sylvie, what's one of your favorite classical pieces?"

"_Any particular reason you want to know?" _

"Just being friendly, little love."

"_Mmm. Careful with that statement. It's bitten me in the ass one too many times to be taken seriously. I'll tell you one of my favorites sometime, not now." _

Maria nodded, "Very well. Is there anything you'd like for your birthday?"

"_Not anything that I can think of. Well, let's see. Um, no, nothing. I thank you for the offer, though."_

"Of course. Well, if anything comes to mind, let me know." Maria sat back down, and then she looked at Terry, "Has she always been this way?"

Terry looked at the node and back at her, "No, she was once so full of love and life. No longer."

"What happened?" Maria asked.

Terry looked at the node and looked back at Marie, "Come with me, I'll tell you."

Maria got up and walked with Terry. They entered the grand library. It was a library that was built under Sylvia's insistence. It housed countless books, play manuscripts, lyric pieces, poetry, but of all these books, Terry went to a lower shelf where he took out a tiny tan leather-bound book.

Terry sat down, "What do you know of the agent they called Duke?"

Maria looked surprised, "That he was Sylvia's greatest friend. She saw him as a grandfather, a good man who she greatly loved. In many accounts of all agents both now and before, they all said she loved him. Why?"

"That's the story that a lot of us know. But very few, very few know the truth. Duke was an outstanding agent, one of our best, one of our most efficient. One of those who loved Sylvia to the point where he protected her, even when she made some genuinely stupid decisions. She loved him, she would have died, she would literally have chosen to die if Duke was in peril."

Terry sighed, "Duke oversaw Sylvia's rise, saw her learn the lessons of war, learn the lessons of life. Duke was a lynchpin of a lot of us, a source of laughter and joy. But that was before it all happened. Over time, we saw that Decay would isolate and be able to kill our agents, compromise our missions. We didn't know what was going on. Not at all. But finally, Sylvia had enough to where she had a mutual friend run a background check on everybody. Duke, when he was brought before us, immediately bolted and ran.

Sylvia had him pursued and had our informants keep their eyes and ears open for anything of him. She didn't want to believe the worst of the situation. None of us did, Marie. Sylvia, hoping Duke, was just afraid for some other minor reason, researched his bank accounts, personal history, and all that stuff. After three weeks, the results came in. Duke was an agent for Decay. He always had been. He was the penultimate sleeper agent."

Marie was silent a moment and said, "So, Duke, her best friend, betrayed her and was that when she kinda' went you know—" She clicked her heels and extended her arm.

Terry got up immediately with a speed that startled Marie, "Don't' you _ever _call her that."

Marie gasped, "I-I'm sorry."

Terry exhaled, "Marie, you have to understand. Sylvia lost the only father figure she'd genuinely cared for since her father was killed before her eyes. It would drive you, me, _anyone, _to the breaking point. That's what so many don't understand. I'm the only one who knows the truth. The betrayal of Duke _broke _her. Broke her faith, her love, and her capacity to care. I have seen what it did to her. I've been there. I've seen inside that mind because she let me in. And I pray that no one, _no one _has to feel what she has."

Opening the book, Terry read, "_July 28__th__: I wanted to believe it was a lie. I wanted to believe this would never—could never happen. My father never lied. He told it was cruel out there. He was faithful, not like you. I want to go home. Don't they understand? I just want to go home.  
_

_Terry asked how I felt, I dare not tell him. I dare not say what is in my mind. I'll tell you, though. What is in my mind is that I don't like what humans do. __Any __of them. If the one thing I've learned from Duke that everyone is very good at pretending. People pretend to be my friends, the way a child acts when they like the clothes for Christmas, they aren't even good at hiding it.  
_

_Duke pretended, but he was skilled at it. He encouraged me, protected me, embraced me when I was sad, made his soups when I was sick. But I should have known, shouldn't I, daddy? I knew he was acting just a tiny touch removed. Considering the stress of the missions, I didn't want to push him, so I just gave him a bit of rest, a bit of TLC like I felt people deserved in that situation.  
_

_But it was worse today, daddy. It was so much worse. Because even though I have the bank accounts and proof, I still didn't want to believe it, I really didn't. But I went into his room. I found his hiding place underneath his nightstand._

_I found his diary, daddy and I opened it, and it said, "We are prepared. The child will die as her father: without purpose or impression. It has been a long road, but I can say, finally, I'm happy it's over. I hated that kid. I have __always __hated her. To be nice, to smile, comfort, and hug, all that sickening affection and act of caring, it's finally finished."  
_

Terry closed the book and put it back on the shelf, "Do you understand now why she hates her birthday?"

Maria nodded, "What happened afterward, Terry? Even you were shaken reading that, what did she do afterward?"

Terry shook his head, and his voice for the first time grew weak, "I can't tell you. Suffice to say, Sylvia went into the computer and didn't come out for two months. But during those months, moves were made against Decay that literally we _all _were amazed at. We didn't know how she did it, we don't know those methods. Only Yolanda does mostly, and that's her secret.

We all have secrets in this little thing of ours, love. Yolanda is the chief doctor and breaker, I am the soldier, Emilio is the builder, Enrique is the forger, you are comms, Frankie is Recon, and there are two others that we know exist, but only Sylvie knows their names. Those are the trump cards.

No hand knows exactly what the other hand is doing, as the expression goes. After Duke, that was by deliberate design. Yolanda wants more clarity to be up to date with things. However, she can wish that till the cow come home, it doesn't mean she'll get it. Sylvia can't take that risk. Funny thing is, the North-Gate program works excellently on so many levels. The reason it does is that the only person you may know is either in the same city or maybe just an hour away from you. But no operative knows who is in that city with them. Heck, even Delmas doesn't' know who Yolanda truly is. He never knew who I was. This is deliberate so that no one is compromised. Yolanda, to Kadic, is nothing more than an exemplary nurse of the highest skill and dedication.

After Duke, Sylvia didn't pull punches anymore. She didn't take risks anymore. Everything is designed in this program, not out of spite, but out of anger, rage, and paranoia. But also, out of knowing what other people are willing to do for the sake of what they think is right."

"Wait," Marie said after listening, "you said that no two agents are in the same vicinity. How then did Yolanda wind up alongside you?"

"Well, to her credit, she played it off very well. The thing is I was sent there to implement the barrier protocol. I was there to truly test the Lyoko Sentinels as we call them. Now, Sylvie knew that I was a fresh face, and thus being, was innocent in many people's eyes. However, she equally knew that Yolanda would see me. She had not seen me for quite some time, I mean at least two years. Her reaction was genuine, but she also knew the code-name to use for me when and if I did show up. That's how we were able to play it off for a bit.

When things escalated, well, they just took their course. Sylvia and I had thought that much ahead because well, Yolanda is a bit emotional and to see one of her old friends from the field, having not been in contact physically with any one of us for the last half-decade, well it's understandably hard to keep that down.

So, we doctored that we met in college, and it was a cover story I memorized, and we rolled with it. However, even though we are in proximity now, this is a minimal window. We all have our missions of this group, and we all have our connections to maintain across the world. To be together this long is an exceedingly rare treat."

"Wait, wait." Maria said somewhat confusedly, "So, you're telling me, Yolanda is the reason we were so efficient against Decay during deep quiet?"

Terry nodded, "Yep. Yolanda derides Sylvia for violence, you know that. But the sad truth is, Yolanda is just as willful a murderer and willful a monster as Sylvia is. Her methods, as we saw, are lethally efficient and relatively quick. Yolanda is, in many ways, a hypocrite. She doesn't like Sylvia's styles of things, but that's only because, as some would say, 'you're just mad you didn't think of it first.' And it's shockingly accurate. However, Yolanda is not a traitor, she'd never do that."

"You place an awful lot of trust in that statement," Maria said, "I mean with Duke doing his shit, and Delmas over there stewing away, you place an awful lot of trust in that."

Terry barely smiled, "Because I know that as Sylvia says, 'there are safeguards beyond safeguards.' That's all you need to know. As friendly as you are with Londie, and pleasant as she can be, watch out for her. Yolanda's extremely dangerous, and she's waiting for an excuse to let her talents shine. That's why we started a couple things to get her interest to allow her to 'express herself' as the kids say today. Because it's true, she's a genius, an absolute genius. But she's a monster just as much as she accuses Sylvia of being. So, does she want to be the pot or the kettle? Either way, call a spade a spade and not a gardening tool, you know?"

Maria looked at Terry, "Does Sylvie believe in mercy?"

Terry winced, "Eh, well, that's a complex thing. I'll tell you this, she's never gone soft. Because she knows if she did, it'd be nothing but work. On the flip side, her view of justice is beautiful. But she—lacks grace. She sees mercy as a hard thing because, to Sylvia, mercy, unless she can suitably justify it, is seen as weakness. She hates to be weak or even perceived as such."

Maria shook her head, "What a very dark world she lives in."

"We all live in a dark world, love. The sad truth is Sylvia _knows _she does. But she hasn't lost hope. She's just through her life has been made more skeptical than most. That's why she said for you to watch yourself. It wasn't a warning to you or even an insult. It was a warning for you. To be wary of those who say they do things out of kindness because very rarely in her mind are people genuinely altruistic. If they are, accept it as them doing their good deed for the day and move on."

Maria nodded, "Sylvia was in the machine for years, correct? So, who taught her what she knows?"

"Well, she is both in the machine and not. See, her body needs to walk around among us. That's why Yolanda as her caretaker, will oversee her body when she comes out, and she just keeps tabs on her. However, she didn't spend years in the machine, as Aelita did.

Sylvia has come out in intervals typically once a day and usually when most people are asleep. She is active from nine in the evening to three in the morning. Sylvia can activate her body whenever she wants. Still, she usually does her nightly routine to keep her body in shape so that if the North-Gate unit is compromised, we can resort to our backup group while the current unit goes into Preservation Mode."

"I've been up frequently at night; I never see her," Maria said.

"That's because, under the complex, there are a series of tracks and tunnels. Sylvia knows your habits and knows the habits of all of us. She literally will move her capsule that houses her body after materialization anywhere she likes so she can come out unfettered. That's why apart from Londie and myself, none have seen what she truly looks like. That's also deliberate on her part for her own reasons."

"So, if that's the case, then why didn't she just go to Kadic on her own as opposed to using the body of Justine?"

Terry sucked in air through his teeth, "Eh, that's classified. Suffice to say, I know why she did it. It was a glorified test run for a hypothesis, and her hypothesis proved faulty. Therefore, upon the hypothesis's failure, we've reverted back to a program we had already in place. But as the expression goes, all trials bring their compensations; there's a wealth of knowledge we learned from the test run, which we'll use down the line.

As to why Sylvia didn't use her natural form—there's a myriad of reasons. However, the primary reason being, her natural body isn't what she'd like it to be for her purpose. And that's all I'll say on that."

Marie nodded, "Alright, then. So, what's the plan for right now?"

Terry shrugged, "Wait until we receive a dead-drop notification from our sources. Afterward, meet with the source. For now, at least. The Assendorp situation is just starting to be discussed at the boardroom level, and that's fine. But I have my own bad feeling about that, but we'll see. However, even if what we anticipate happening happens, we have a few fallback options." Terry checked his watch, "Come on, let's get dinner."

At that moment, a buzzer was heard, and Terry looked surprised and quickly headed towards the development chamber.

Maria followed him, and she heard him shout for joy, "OH, SYLVIA, YOU BEAUTY!"

Maria hurried up, "What? What is it, Ter?"

When she reached him, her eyes bogged out, and her mouth fell open like a trunk. "Impossible!" She said finally, nearly breathless."

Sylvia spoke through the P.A., "_My dear friends, behold. Project Icarus. And now, it is my pleasure to introduce you to—my children." _

A door opened on either side of the room. In perfect synchronization, the marching was heard as Terry and Maria's were greeted with men and women on the right and left respectively clad in streamlined black armor, their masks resembling an eerie iridescent skull.

Terry inspected the soldiers, "Who are these people, Sylvia?"

"_They are resources that have been acquired through various implementations here and there. As a matter of fact, let me show you one of them." _

One of the skulls became transparent, and Terry saw the face beneath. He gently nodded, "Gotta' give you points for innovation. That's for sure. What about the fallout?"

"_Oh, that was no genuine issue. It was an end to be tied up later, and so it has been. The benefit of my children before you is that they are the elite of our units as far as the civilian sector goes. If Decay wishes to indulge in shadow games? I see it only fair we shall oblige them." _

Terry nodded, "Uh-huh. I see. The civilian sector in the old term is what I think you are implying, correct?"

"_But of course." _

"Efficient, little lady. Exceptionally good."

"_Now, we have what we need to advance phase three. I'm initiating the production of Lancer."  
_

"Fantastic!" Terry said with glee, "Oh, yes! I've been waiting for this! Where are we setting up? I'll move immediately."

"_Patience, patience." _Sylvia replied gently, "_First, you need to collect our friends in America and wait in Havana. After that, we'll proceed with Lancer."_

Terry was giddy, so full of life, Maria had never seen him this way before, and as he went off to get ready for his flight to New York, Maria said, "Excuse me, Sylvie, what would you like me to do?"

"_Well, seeing as you and Londie are really hitting it off, I'd like to have you work alongside her in Protocol Five. I will transfer directions to your implant to get you to the facility. Yolanda will join you after her analytic phase is complete." _

"Alright. Good enough, and what is Protocol Five?" Maria asked.

"_You will be debriefed upon arrival. I should mention, after every workday, your brain will be wiped after all your data is recorded. It will take just a bit of time to get used to, so I have medication ready for you when you arrive. But the adjustment process is rapid, and you will soon adapt.  
_

_In a time when needed, you will be able to recall all your progress in perfect clarity. However, that is only on the administration of a key phrase. So, it's not even a mind wipe but a very gentle yet powerful memory suppression." _

Maria nodded, "Okay, it doesn't sound bad at all. I'll head out then. Oh, by the way, am I working permanently on this place or what?"

"_No, no. Just so long as is needed to meet a certain research threshold. Once that is done, someone else will fill your shoes, and you'll be transferred to the workshop for traditional duties."  
_

"That's fine by me. Well, okay. Talk to you later." Maria replied with a smile as she headed out the door.


	55. Chapter 55

_**AN: Thank you to all my readers, who continue to read my work. I am grateful for all of you, and this chapter came after a good bit of prayer, and I am more than pleased with the results. Thank you all for your dedication, and thanks be to God for his help with the chapter. I will see you all next time.  
**_

_**Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 55

Maria arrived at the designated location. To her surprise, the building was amazingly standard, even more than usual. It was a beautiful three-floor affair that, at one time, had been a factory of some kind. As she approached the door after parking, she saw the scanner near the door. Scanning first her hand and then having a ray scan her tongue, there was a beep, and the door silently slid open. 

Entering the establishment, Maria found the walls were bare. The white floor scrubbed so thoroughly and finished off with a form of a polish that the floor had an unnatural glossy finish, but when testing the floor with her shoe, Maria found the floor to literally be squeaky clean. 

"_Wow," _Maria thought, "_here I thought the others were joking when they said that they entered pure sterility. There's not even a smell of cleaner, nothing." _

Maria tapped into her implant. "Sylvie, what is this place exactly?"

"_This is a tactical implementation center—one of our most secure establishments. Your job will be working in signals on the third floor on the east side, in Room S-1. You'll have the privilege of working with our very finest communication relay system. Your dossier with your instructions will be on your desk. When needed, I will assign you help if the traffic picks up as I anticipate."_

"You said I'd be helping Londie. But with what?"

"_In signals, you will find, especially at this station, that through analysis that Decay has all manner of tools as well as human resources. You will be able to hear transmissions of new data and what we can glean from the Abernathy Foundation while the board meetings press on. How you will be helping our good doctor is by writing down the essential component recipes of various chemical compounds to and to our list of ability for physical refinement. You will also be exposed to coded locations of various blueprints of weapons and the like. Just as Decay uses the power of information to enslave the common man, we use the same information to level the playing field.  
_

_Now, your hours are from eight to twelve, at which time you will have an hour lunch break. Give your order for food to The Porter. He will report to every room an hour and a half before collecting your request for food. You will resume work at one sharp and leave at three. The rest of the day, unless notified otherwise, is yours to do with as you wish within operational safety parameters.  
_

_As part of this facility, you have given a very low-profile alias, so nothing will show up, and you won't be compromised. Your housing unit is located on the east side of the factory grounds in what used to be an old pumping station. They are particularly reasonable living accommodations that are derived from our base in Havana. Everyone loved the old Havana place, so I took some inspiration and decorated it accordingly with a few luxuries from there. _

_Lights out will be prompt at ten in the evening as I need you well-rested for your work. Unless I reassign you to the nightshift, this schedule will remain day in and out until you are moved in time to reinforce operations in San-Francisco.  
_

_If you have any questions, contact me, or consult your dossier. Everything I have said is also laid out in the file and a few other details."  
_

"Oh, I do have one question, well more a request, if I am assigned to San-Francisco as you say I will in time, may I have Terry with me on location?"

"_I appreciate you asking me so kindly. I must deny it, however. There are variables I must consider for efficiency and field operation safety. You are to be assigned alongside one of your gender as are all assets. Rarely are any two agents of opposite sex allowed in the same place for too long. It's just how this works for convenience's sake. That way, we don't have allegations of misconduct or the like.  
_

_Speaking of which, all implants in light of recent events, have been modified to communicate with me or those directly in your function. You can contact me or Yolanda and a few others in the facility; however, outside of that, any communication with other agents is on your own time and under your personal accountability."  
_

"So, you don't care what I do on my time off?" Maria asked, "Just being clear here."

"_So long as it doesn't compromise what we're doing, no. See, I see all of you like this. I love all of you; equally, I have no favorites. But at the end of the day, you're humans. You have impulses and wants. Good. Embrace those on your time off. Not until. Thank you."  
_

The connection ended, and Maria chuckled, "Kinda' funny, aren't you?" She spoke to the empty hallway, "But I get your point. The missions always come first. But then—why did you call me here so quickly? Why did you bring me here with all haste and expense? What are you up to, little lady?"

Maria shrugged as she headed up the carpeted stairs and came to the second floor. The design of the larger hall galas as Maria's grandmother had called them was very helpful. The offices were perfectly spaced with an excellent open floorplan. Heading to the third floor, it was the same style, same design, and leading to the east portion, Maria saw as she approached the S Oriented Rooms, the walls became of precious wood, and when she reached S-1, she opened the door. 

Her eyes went wide, "Wow," She said softly, "it's—really lovely. I could really get some work here. Alright, let's get to it." 

Back at Kadic, Yolanda went over a file taken from an infiltration mission into a Decay cell. Her implant silently beeped, and Yolanda patched in, "Perraudin here." 

"_The lab is set up." _Sylvia replied, "_As you wanted, my good doctor, you can return to your natural experimental proclivity."_

Yolanda beamed a great smile, "Thank you! Thank you, thank you thank you!"

"_You're welcome. As is tradition, there are a few provisos. You will still have to report to Kadic per your cover. Not for much longer, however. You must decide between night or day shift. Once you choose, you will be locked in. This will only change if we must move. You know how danger is treated in our field; It cannot be stopped; it can only be delayed. _

_Because we are all here and active, I anticipate heat to gradually rise. I'd give it about maybe a month maybe two before a full pack-up. With your traditional work, you will resume your duties. Your executive medical officer privileges and rights in that field are now reinstated without limit regarding missions. We need results, and you are the one to deliver. I know you will not disappoint. To make sure you are not compromised, I am assigning you to transfer over into the lab at the end of summer break."_

Yolanda could barely contain her joy. Finally, _finally, _after all this time, she was able to return to her realm. "Anything you need to be done, I will do. I have a major question though, how much of the formulary were you able to transfer from the last rotation?" 

"_All of it. Particularly your work in Tokyo. Surprisingly good work there." _

"I'm surprised you noticed." Yolanda replied, "You were really in the zone for a while."

"_I have to, dear. It's not every day you find you that your medical officer has a contingency plan to kill you. Per your dossier, 'in the aspect of the leader being compromised or proving unstable to continue the North-Gate mission.' So, yeah, I know. But don't worry, I'm not mad. That would be like screaming at the designer of a highly dangerous arsenal for not installing a judgment lock in case of an overseer's hot temper or two._

_So, I don't take it as an offense. You have an element of a controlled contingency, and that's not wrong. But be warned, if you dare slip to R&D to weaponize this element without going through legitimate channels, you will be sufficiently dealt with. Duke turned against me, Hendricka turned against me, don't __you __turn against me. I assure you; it would not be in your best interest. That is why I will allow you to do all you need to do within the confines of missions. _

_However, every primary weapon or design will be subject because of your actions to peer review. You will operate under the three-strikes rules by the Tribunal Code of Oversight. On the third strike, you will be liquidated. Do not go there. Every strike, you will lose significant portions of privilege and reduce field ops on the second strike as a final chance. You may earn back a strike for every successful mission that is per the objective without significant loss. However, if I find you are even exploiting this form of mercy, you will be summarily executed._

_I do not wish to destroy you; I treasure you. You have too beautiful a mind to kill, and additionally, I like looking at you. You have a gorgeous body. You've beauty and brains, an exceedingly rare combination. Even so, as much as it would genuinely pain me to destroy you, and I do not say so lightly, I cannot have a snake in my home regardless of its uniquely appealing qualities. Do you understand?"_

Yolanda's heart was beating quickly, her eyes were wide, her breathing very light, "Why are you doing this?" Yolanda asked, about to pass out from fear, "Why are you doing this? Giving me a chance you never gave anyone else?"

"_I have told you. Because you are of immense worth to me. Your brains are second to none in your field. Even if we were to replace you, I'd suffer in ways of efficiency and skill I couldn't recover from. There are external factors at play, as well. I must consider others who love you, and I mean genuinely love you. I am not the only one who sees you of worth. And thusly because I know this person does care, sincerely, they will be there watching you. They will be directly in your sight and invisible at the same time.  
_

_Yolanda, I will tell you now, listen. As a matter of fact, I'm using your real name, look, Heidi, and we will not suffer a loss like yours. Because you're too important. You have a purpose and function that none can rival you with. I give you this chance because of your skills but also because I believe in you. I think that you can do very well. And have done well. But I can't help you if you don't talk to me. Why did you make this formula in the first place? Answer me that. There's no judgment, there's no shame, I just need to know __why__?" _

Yolanda had no words she was flustered, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to contain herself.

"_Heidi," _Sylvia replied,_ "you don't do anything without reason. I don't know what happened, I don't know what I did or didn't do. But whatever it was, was reason to make this. You don't have to answer now. Finish your file, and have a good day."  
_

Yolanda whirled around and looked outside. There was no one around except for a few groups of various children casually walking around. Yolanda took a sigh, and she sat on one of the beds. How did she know what she was doing at that moment? How did she know she was looking at a file? The implant was not designed to allow to be of passive use. Not that she was aware of.

Tapping into the implant, she contacted Terry, "Terry, you there?"

"_I'm here as always. What's up?" _

"Sylvia complicated my day. I need to look at the implant modification list and see if there are active and passive allowances." 

"_Any particular reason?" _

"Yeah, she said to me to finish my file and enjoy my day. Problem is, I do these files when I can, how would she know that I was doing my files?"

_"Good question. Alright checking the update protocol. Hmm, I do not see anything—nothing admin related, nothing above admin. So, no, she can't have hacked your eyes. As a matter of fact, didn't you opt-out of the ocular implant?"  
_

"Exactly, because I didn't trust her with such a connection. But at the same time, she's digging through a lot of more recent stuff. She's found a couple contingency plans, and she's not mad, but she's basically put me in storage, you know." 

"_Heidi, damn it! I kept telling you. Do not do that shit! I warned you and warned you. Do not do it! But no, you didn't listen apparently. You have any idea how fucking hard you made it now? You're raising red flags! Take a chill pill with your anger and paranoia, and just do what you are told to do. There's a reason you know she calls us the Restless Romans. You know why? Because, in her logic, 'have an army do nothing long enough, have them exercise patience, and suddenly they'll get some really bright ideas.' _

_Heidi, take it from me, just do your job. I'm looking at your dossier, and in time you have a lovely promotion and job relocation coming up because of your work. Don't jeopardize it, okay? Because if you are passed over, you'll go back to your scheming, I know you well enough to know that. Do your job, keep your head down and nose cleaned."_

"Why are you always taking her side?"

"_I'm not taking her side." _Terry replied, his voice was very harsh for the first time, "_But you need to understand how she and system would see this. Continue in what you are doing, and you're going to kill us all. If not all of us, kill me because I'm the one you talk to most. So, stop your petty shit, do your job, do what's expected, and smile until transfer. That's not a lot to ask. It's no different from when you were in Turkey with Hyde, You smile, and you'll be done soon."  
_

"Speaking of which, how is the Lunatic from Lebanon?"

_"Not at liberty to say. Suffice to say, she's performing her duties. That's all you need to know. So, anything else?"  
_

"No, thank you."

"_You're welcome."_

The implant disconnected, and Yolanda resumed her work all the while thinking, "_That fucking brat. If she had just kept her nose out of my business, I'd have a good thing going. We'd be much farther along than we are now with this shadow shit, and I'd have Terry to myself. But no, she must complicate things. Had to bring Maria here to keep me in check Had to rehabilitate her entirely giving her cybernetic legs_

_. Oh, I'm sorry that you lost your fucking legs in a car crash, but had you not shown up, maybe Terry and I could have gotten to where we should have been before you entered the picture in the first place."_

She sighed, much disgusted, "_I should have aimed better with that damn thing and backed again over her head for good measure. Yeah, it would have been morbid, and Terry would be in a touch more pain to help him through, but equally, he wouldn't be so much aligned with Sylvia out of his own self-preservation and Maria by extension."  
_

Yolanda violently closed the file, threw it into her desk drawer, and slammed it shut, "Damn her!" Yolanda snarled, "That fucking bitch."

"Is this a bad time?" A young voice asked shocking Yolanda, who whirled around to see Amelia standing on one foot with her leg slightly elevated, her arm draped around Al Kruger.

Yolanda remembered herself, "It's alright. What's going on? What happened?"

"You sure? Do you always have mania episodes and calm down so quickly?" Amelia asked with a smile.

Yolanda rolled her eyes, "Break, sprain, or roll?" she spoke curtly, being to the point.

"Oh, lovely bedside manner you have there." Amelia said, "Hey Fonzie, don't be surprised if I wind up in the freezer."

Al rolled his eyes, "She's the nurse, dude. Be nice, alright? She probably has the knowledge to kill you and make it look like an accident."

Yolanda's eyes went wide as if in real shock. 

"Apparently, we're not far from wrong, look at her face!" Amelia said with a burst of laughter and then yelled, "Oww!"

Yolanda sighed, "Sit down, put your feet up." She sat down in front of Amelia and Alfonse and said, "What happened here?"

Amelia replied, "Long story. The short version is, I was a bit zealous with some climbing and fell and heard a crunch. I gave a cry, Fonzie here came and picked me up, and now we're here." 

Yolanda silently chuckled, "Where were you climbing?" she asked as she looked at the leg, "from the feeling here—"

Amelia yelled in pain, "Don't leave me, Fonzie, she may kill me before this is all over." 

"Oh, ha-ha." Yolanda replied, and after inspecting the leg, she replied, "Well, jokes aside, you really did mess up your leg specifically just above the ankle. Had you actually broken this, we would have had to send you to an actual hospital. However, I have a solution." 

Yolanda got up, and she went to a medicine cabinet. Taking out gauze, tape, and a small orange pouch, she went over to Amelia and said, "Now listen, this balm is highly effective with the pain you now feel. As soon as I apply it, there will be a sharp sting from the cold of the lotion on your bruised muscles and a slightly fractured ankle. Also, you will have this pain for roughly fifteen seconds. Once that is passed, you will feel an immense warming sensation, and your pain will fade gradually. 

You will need to keep the foot bound and off it as much as possible. Luckily as this is summer break, you have several days to make headway with recovery before the semester starts. In theory, if you listen to what I tell you, you should be patched up just in time for classes. Now, are you ready?"

Amelia nodded warily, and Yolanda placed clear vinyl gloves on her hands, dipped her fingers in the balm, and began to apply it. Amelia sucked in air through her teeth. 

"Wow, that's fucking cold!" She exclaimed, "Sorry, sorry. Just wow!"

"I told you it would be." Yolanda said gently, "Now, we wait roughly fifteen seconds, then you will have a warming sensation, and pain will gradually cease." 

Amelia looked at Yolanda's face. No fear, no panic, just calm. It was the oddest thing she had seen. Looking down at her ankle, Amelia was even more amazed as some of the dark grey where her leg had been impacted, was swiftly restoring itself to its natural look. 

"What is this stuff? Where'd you get it?" Amelia asked, "It's weird, but it gets results done." 

Yolanda looked at her steadily, "We have these as necessary precautions against overexuberant children and their associated propensity for self-harm as such cases may be."

Alfonse was silent as he watched the effectiveness of the medicine. He thought, "_This is not normal at all. This is way beyond normal. Reminds me of what Dad worked on before the Gulf. How did this woman get hold of this stuff? I'll have to call dad. I'm sure he'd be interested, to say the least. But hmm—"  
_

"Excuse, nurse, where did you get your training?" Al asked, "You really seem to know what you're doing."

"Here and there. Went to Johns Hopkins first. Then I transferred to other places and finally wound up here after enough time. It has been interesting. You know, I wanted to do a lot of major emergency room stuff, or so I thought. But I found that being a pediatrician is well, the best realm of income. Yes, you have a lot of horrid mangling and such. And while it is true that surgeons are paid more, children are always sick, maiming themselves or others. And so, much like a landscaper after rain, I'm never out of work or money."

"You went to Johns Hopkins, and you're a pediatrician? All that money, and you're a pediatrician?" Alfonse asked, "Seems like a waste." 

Yolanda looked at him and replied, "That's alright for you to think so. You aren't in the real world yet. Seventy-five Euros an hour is not bad, and it more than pays the bills." Yolanda proceeded to wrap Amelia's leg and once firmly secured, she went to the nearby closet and gave her a crutch, "Here, to use this as you walk. Head up to your room, and do not overexert yourself. If you do, you might tear your ligaments, and you'd have to be transferred to hospital, and I'm not sure if you're properly insured for such a thing." 

Amelia nodded, "Alright then. Let me ask you this, how long have you been doing this?"

"Fifteen years although, that's official. I've worked in less official capacities a bit longer."

Amelia was surprised, "You don't even look that old."

Yolanda shook her head, "Gee, thanks. Alright, head along. If you have any other issues, come back down."

Amelia took the crutch, and with Al helping her along, she headed out. Yolanda gently closed the door behind them and sat back at her desk. 

At that moment, a knock was heard at the door, and Yolanda remembering her temper sighed slightly and opened the door to see Jean-Pierre.

"Oh, Jean, I'm surprised to see you here." Yolanda said, "Please, come in."

"Likewise, Yolanda. I hope everything is alright. I heard you had a family emergency, which is why you left so horridly. 

"Oh, that. Yeah, there was something that someone saw as an emergency, and when you get an overly nervous family as I have, well, it is mandatory everyone is there. Which, my grandfather has this really messed up situation where essentially, you don't show up, you're disinherited and even if you do show up and you missed a 'near-death experience' you're axed from the will.

At this point, it's not even worth it in some regards. Even then, I think it's a twisted double bluff kind of thing. So, I'm here. Figured I may as well be here where I have genuine significance."

"Why would your grandfather do something like that?" Jean-Pierre asked.

"You don't know him, but I'll put it like this. I genuinely think he likes this process because well, the old codger has to have something to do in his old age. I mean, sure he founded the major eatery, but still, he's bored, so this is how he amuses himself." 

"Ah," Jean-Pierre replied, "Well if you feel this way, why do you keep going back?" 

"Honestly, on my way here last night, I found myself asking the same question. No matter. I'm here now, so I'll be here until I hear back from another job prospect." 

"Are you leaving us? It seems rather sudden, to be honest." Jean-Pierre replied.

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. That said, until such time, I'll be here until I hear back from my job prospects. Additionally, it's to put my mother at ease. With a lot of what has been going on lately, she wanted me closer to home. So, hopefully, as I said, my search pans out. Apart from that, well, it's one day at a time." 

"I understand." Jean-Pierre replied with an actual note of sadness, "I'm sorry we're going to be losing you. You've done amazingly well here."

"It's alright, Jean. I'm not going right now, but I'd prefer this stay between us until I am sure of what is to come. I may not be leaving at all, but I might. So, anyway," she sighed, "sorry, Jean. I've just had a lot on my mind. But I came back because, well, I hated staying in that apartment." 

"No, believe me, I understand. The aspects being stuck in an apartment in a job that frankly you may like, but you are just tired. You want more out of life, and you want a bit of happiness, you know? I get it, believe me, more than you think." 

Yolanda nodded, "It's getting late. I'm headed home. If you need anything, remember I'm available, and Beck will be on call as well. So, goodnight and sleep well, Jean." 

Yolanda headed out, and Jean-Pierre silently followed out the door, closing the infirmary door behind him. 

Meanwhile, Aelita was slowly approaching her dorm. She'd spent most of the afternoon and evening in the lower dorm sitting with Magali. They had talked extensively. Aelita knew some of what Jacqui had told Magali, but not all. Darkly, Aelita felt this withholding of information was intentional, but it was within reason. Magali had no reason to trust Aelita, not at all. Why did she trust Jacqui, the literal outsider that she didn't know hardly at all?

As Aelita found out, Magali had found in Jacqueline, someone who understood the academic world but also understood the world outside. As Magali explained, "I found an almost magnetizing element in her. She knew of what she spoke. Was she hyperbolic, of course. But even hyperbole is laced with truth, even if blown at times wildly out of proportion." Aelita had considered this statement long and hard as she continued to talk over quite a few things with Magali. Now, she was quite glad that she was nearing her dorm door. She was above all tired, the heat of the day, even in the early evening, had continued to prove oppressive. 

Placing her hand on the door handle, she felt the grip to be quite cold. Puzzled, she opened the door to be greeted by a breathtaking, almost heavenly realm of beautiful cold air. The air was sweet with the combined smell of vanilla and cinnamon. It was the most beautiful, relaxing sensation she'd known. Aelita smiled as she saw a small but apparently highly efficient air conditioner in the lower window. 

Aelita sighed contentedly and lay on her bed, "This is _amazing._" Her body relaxed as she stretched. It is as if being stretched almost to the snapping of her joints and popping her sockets before relief at the last second. 

"_How did this happen? Jacqui said she'd be able to get an AC in here, but how did she pull this off? You know, for the first time, I'm not going to question it. This is __fantastic.__" _

Aelita took her phone and texted Jeremy, "Jeremy, Jacqui was true to her word, my room is like paradise."

He replied back, "_Glad to hear it. I'll be down in a bit. I started our comprehensive search in case the worst comes to the worst. So, we'll have a result soon. We're going to need an expedient analysis considering the crunch time in-between transitions. Even so, I'm glad it worked out that you have an upgrade." _

Aelita responded, "Yeah, it's pretty nice. Well, I'm going to get some sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"_Of course. Love you." _

"I love you too, Proxie-Pie. Sweet dreams."

Aelita closed her phone, got up, turned off the light, and, once disrobing, lay on her bed.

Back at the North-Gate facility, Sylvia was practicing in the dojo, strengthening her punches and perfecting her dodges. As she hit the dummy before her, she heard Terry speak.

"Practicing in solitude. Good idea. How've you been?"

"I'm well enough." Sylvia replied, "Strengthening my body so I can do as I need to do when the time comes." She hit the dummy harder, focusing her energy into key connective points of the joints, "After all, those who do not lead their soldiers in battle, are not fit to lead at all."

Terry entered the light, and he saw that Sylvia's muscles were extensively developing due to her regimen. She had been practicing in this way and several others every night since they had arrived. Every night from three in the afternoon until twelve, an hour break for lunch at midnight and continuing training until five in the morning before retiring. 

"You've advanced very well." Terry said, "Your form is much improved from when you first started. How are the new combat drones helping? Are they as accurate as you'd like them to be?"

"They are remarkably on-point, and I am extremely grateful you gave them passive adaptivity. I give you credit where due; I'm never bored." Sylvia replied as she backed up from the dummy to rest a moment, "As a matter of fact, I wondered if we could add some of those features into the sentry units at the base." 

"That's part of the plan honestly. Using them in the passive instructive medium allows me to genuinely gauge the adaptation of the combat system. It's smaller doses, but across the various settings, I can see just what the AI is adapting to, but as I said, all of these drones are controlled by manual link by our combat instructors back home." 

"Again, an amazingly effective solution. We couldn't get everything transplanted from former operations; I've made peace with that. But the simple fact we have that one steadfast signal means that our troops will never be under-prepared. Speaking of which, is the signal undergoing the encryption rotation? The last thing we need is for our instructors' communications relay to be compromised." 

"It is. We had to adjust to several aspects along with the realm of travel, adjust for environmental factors, and so forth. Still, yes, the encryption works, and due to the variables of the environment here, adjust every fourteen hours to keep as good a balance as possible. It's not perfect, little lamb, but it's what it is."

"I don't expect perfection, Terry. I just want something to work effectively with a proper margin of success." Sylvia wiped the sweat from her brow, "Also, I'm sure you know by now that I have gotten onto Yolanda's case with the contingency plan, rather I have amicably addressed it."

"You know I know, so why the pretense?"

"Don't be a wisecracker, okay? Look, I get it. It's good she has the plan, I don't deny. However, a question I have for you is, did you actively know she was researching such a plan?"

Terry shook his head, "For the first time, no. This was the one aspect that she took on that was all on her lonesome as you like to say."

"For the first time, I know you're not lying to me. Thank you. I've checked the books and accounts allotted to our dear Heidi of the Mountains. And in many ways, she did do a lot of this on her own. That said, as I told her, I'm not mad she is doing this. But I will be infuriated if she weaponizes it. That said, she had been subjected to peer review now. So, she can't slide the orders as we say, you know?" 

"Oh, I get it, it's one of the safeguards for all of us. Even you have that to a degree. I remember your father telling me a bit about it. But, even then, he didn't give me access to see how it worked. It's as he said, 'It's to balance out my little girl. I'm not going to have outsiders meddle with the program.' It was smart on his accord. Because while you may not precisely listen to us, there is nothing that says, you must.

Equally, I know you can't do as you like all willy-nilly either. In a way, we are your more physical form of the evaluation committee. The pure fact being, you can function North-Gate without us, but even when you were a teen, you knew that the burden needed a staff team. 

And to your credit, you don't treat us with derision. You respect us, you give us all a lot more chances than a lot of us are owed. However, even then, you have exceptions like Hendricka. You found out she was working for Decay and higher extensions of the Old Guard and so you simply didn't take the chance even though you'd confronted her with the dream method. It was smart because it showed to some eager wolves you aren't so soft-hearted, weak, or so trusting you could be destroyed by pandering or appeals to your intellectual vanity." 

Sylvia nodded, "Thank you. Now, some status reports if you would be so kind. How stands Eternal Vigilance in terms of raw product? Additionally, where stands progress on the redirection principle?"

Terry accessed the dossier, "Vigilance has few slots, but through carrying of older techniques, we have highly effective methods. It was a choice you made a while ago to emphasize effectiveness over cue space. Additionally, Emilio has suggested Black Gate for an additional security measure when it comes to attaining Decay specialists to reduce the risk of discovery. 

Income from Vigilance through Chinese and Russian connections is approximately nine-hundred and eighty per hour to sufficiently reinforce other project developments. There is also the emergency fund that helps us relocate provided by our friends in India and our source back home from the Economic Consulate. The Consulate funds are utilized in case you personally are compromised, and per deposit in our operational bank, it is reallocated to our man in Switzerland to grow thirty percent on passive interest. A per your insistence, we are staying out of most public stocks to lay low of detection."

The Redirection Principle has been successfully instated after focusing on its development in the way of our countermeasure. R&D awaits your decision on what unit to give it to. Additionally, this just came in a progress report on our developments from the cultures. The first viable subjects have been grown and are being tested. They show excellent signs of life, and from the respective reciprocating donors, we will have the optimum effect. In about forty-eight to seventy-two hours." 

Sylvia nodded, "Excellent, most excellent. Commence field study of the elder. Once that is finished, we will see what we must work with. We have data, but we need certainty; after all, to grow these things isn't cheap. So, good. We have a heading for right now. How stands the Assendorp merger?" 

"As to be expected, the same debates back and forth. Soon, the holding may go to public auction. But, I heard your doubts about what you're seeing. I'm inclined to concur. What do you want to do in case your instinct proves true?" 

"Honestly, I have little choice. How many viable candidates are leftover from the test phase of Vigilance?" 

"Only two. But the trade-off is that they are perfectly calibrated. Why? What's your plan? Simply put, tail the elder. Figure out what goes on with that one. Once done, send the coordinates, we'll send one of them in—the other hold in reserve. My inclination right now is this, have our sources pull out of the Assendorp location. I don't trust it. There's too little activity. More accurately, there's not enough." 

"You think Decay's baiting us?"

"I wouldn't put it past them, not at all. We'll see. I think if we for once, do nothing, they'll withdraw, and bidding will resume. I think they're evaluating who buys what and from that aligns it to our mission objective to narrow down our buyers. Once that's done, well, use your imagination." 

Terry nodded, "Alright, we'll pull them out. We'll set up recon on the elder and then set a tail. Who do you want to tail elder?" 

"Honestly, we need a specialist. Where is Acheron? We can use her for this."

"She's in signals in Dublin roughly four hours using our flight plan. Want to call her in?"

"Yeah, send out the signal using the standard relay. Provide the car here and make sure it's a true civilian sector classification. We can't stand out. Also, call in Swordfish to accompany her in case she needs some firepower. Make sure both units are suppressed but have the support they need." 

"Done. Alright, is there anything else?"

"Not as I can think of just yet. Oh, perhaps, maybe. Yeah, go and call in our payments from New York. We need viable manpower, and Chung is the best to provide the bulk. Give him the command to be highly selective." 

"Oh, okay, good plan. Alright, I'll get Marrow on paper processing for immigration and shit so that they aren't compromised they moment they land here. Do you need dispersal, or are you focused on concentration?" 

Sylvia sighed, "Honestly, it'd be easier to have two spread. Same-sex as everything has been and have them spread as equally as possible, headed east and some spots in South America. I need relatively quick access to the States in case they crop up over there." 

Terry nodded, "Consider it done. You go ahead and figure out training methods of what you'd like, and once training is finished, we'll let you decide where they go. But, to make this easier, figure where you want them to go and what genders, and we'll work with that." 

"Good, alright. Send the pictures of our recruits. I can work better on a backstory if I have a face to work off."

"Of course."

"Finally, Emilio made a great suggestion, but the security measure into immediate development and production." 

"Absolutely, alright. Well, off to work." Terry said with a smile, "Oh, Sylvie, your friend received the letter. What's the plan now?"

Sylvia looked at him entirely serious, "White Knight." 

Terry's eyes went wide, "Ah, I see. Okay, then. Good to know. Is this official?"

Sylvia nodded, "Very much so."

"Alright, we'll make her accommodations fully prepared. What about Streak?"

"I'm working on that. For right now, be patient with that one. I've got what I need so, just be patient. Conversion in my fashion takes a touch of time, not too much longer, though. I will not use our facility in either case, I emphasize that because they are undeserving of such a harsh measure. Love, care, and empathy is what is needed with both. And I tell you now, Terry, Yolanda will see them; she is _not _to touch them or talk to them."

"Understood. So, off-sight for both?"

"For now, yes."

"Of course. Alright, there we go. I'll see you later."

Sylvia returned to her training as she thought, "_It's slowly lining up. Slow but sure. But after we pull out of Assendorp, it will raise a flag or two. But that's alright, it's minimal and easily explained. I'm not compromising the mission for a resource or two, that's stupid as hell. But if we can find out where the cell is, we can cripple her masters. Powerful as they are, they will need a good bit of time to repair monetary sources. Get ready, Momma. I'm coming home and not in the way you wanted."_

Sylvia continued to train, and as the radio above her played, she increased her punches. As the song switched over, the piano's opening notes began, and Sylvia froze. It was the song that inspired her to give the last chance, as many chances until she was sure. Why was this? Because Sylvia knew the value of mercy, indeed the value of human life almost to an inflexible point. The song was called, _How to Save a Life _by The Fray.

The song continued to play, and as it played, Sylvia gritted her teeth as she continued to fire off her fists and her kicks. Sylvia knew what she desired; she knew it equally wasn't all in her head. It wasn't just her. In time many ways, she knew that in time she would be vindicated. Sylvia had come to a conclusion some time ago; it wasn't about being right anymore. That wasn't the point anymore. What mattered to Sylvia was that she was happy that it wasn't just her who saw the wrong as she did. The vileness, reprobate thievery, and willingness to cheat or defraud for profit. 

"_There are those who will listen and understand_," her father's voice resounded in the halls of her memory, as she focused on her punches, "_Those who will listen and not understand. Some will hear and not care out of simple acceptance; they see their situation as hopeless. Some will listen and not care for the corruption you hate benefits them. But my dear little lamb, do not hate. _

_I know it's tempting to throw off all shackles of self-control because of the willful vileness you will see, but that is not the way. Do not become the ones you despised. For you would be no better than them. Do not be the zealous warrior, but be the helper, the nurturer, the healer." _

Sylvia stopped her training as she broke down in tears as the song reached the last chorus, she thought, "_It's so hard, Daddy. So hard not to kill all of them because of what they do! Not only what they do because of the gladness with which they do it!" _

"_I know it is." _The soft voice said in her mind,_ "But you are trying in your own ways because you are the same thing you hate. You are human. You hate not being human, but as was said, you hate being enlightened.  
_

_Remember, it is not the appearance that makes someone a monster; it is the choices they make what they're like. The intent has a large portion, but it matters not if the actions are so heinous that intentions are made moot from those choices."_

Sylvia sighed and headed towards the shower down the hall. As Sylvia approached the door, Maria saw her profile from a distance, and she stood transfixed as she thought, "_**That's **__what she looks like? I knew Yolanda made some improvements to her, but now I wonder, what did she look like before?" _Maria shuddered, turning quickly to head towards the front of the facility_. _


	56. Chapter 56

_**AN: I thank all of you for your readership and reviews. I appreciate all my reviewers whom I have contacted and given me honest feedback. I thank God for his help in making what I believe to be a perfect launch point for what is to come. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next time.  
**_

_**Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 56

Anthea was in her office. It was just after seven o'clock in the morning.

Anthea looked at the sun, the fiery rays as they shined elegantly through her

office window. Silently as she thought, "_Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning. Hmm. We'll see." _

Her mobile rang, and Anthea looked at the number, it was Akiko. She accepted the call, "How'd you get this number?" 

"_I have my methods. You're not the epitome of the specter as you'd like to be. Want to hear the latest?" _

"I assume that's why you called. You were never one for idle chat. Alright, give me the rundown."

"_Very well. We had a few investors on the Assendorp angle pull out and their associated faces on the board. Unfortunately for us, this was well-timed. These investors are very evenly spread, yet it would be hard to tell just who our friends are. The investors that left did not leave at once but in a staggered fashion. Either way, I think North-Gate saw something was up and so didn't take the bait."  
_

Anthea took a drink of the nearby coffee and suddenly spat the coffee back into the cup, "Oh, that's awful!" 

"_I know. The finance committee won't be pleased—"_

"No, not that, my coffee! For goodness sake! Did a colorblind one-armed orangutan make this swill?! Ugh!"

"_Hey, Prima Donna, focus, will you?" _Akiko said somewhat angrily,_ "There are more pressing matters than a cup of coffee happening. You were confident that North-Gate would scoop up Assendorp claims in the agricultural sector, and they didn't. Additionally, some of our own investors were hesitant after unnecessary protractions to flush out our enemy. Even though they knew this was your plan, you went too slow with the process. Despite knowing your reasoning, those on higher levels of investment firms saw this threat as a threat that likely didn't exist."  
_

"Oh, so it's my fault, is it? I was confident, but I wasn't absolutely certain. I made an emphasis on that point in my report. I told Marcus there was a good chance it would happen, but I never said I was certain." 

"_Regardless, we lost the Hans. Anthea, you're a great commander. But people upstairs, they want you to move. With the demonstration of the cannon that was testified by Gupta, we know North-Gate's active. We know they're aggressive. We equally know they're going to target the last two supercomputers in our possession once where they figure out where they are."_

"Yeah, Gupta went a bit far in her test phases. We'd have to change the energy output signals to camouflage them. Unfortunately, that takes time for those output signals to be overwritten. Until replaced, they emit the same signal. We could shut them down until we can replace the output, that is an option."

"_It is an option, yes. But not ideal for upstairs. If we turned them off, we'd lose a lot of our calibration data and frankly, Anthea, the bosses won't take the loss. Because the threshold they've reached in the last six years is too important to sacrifice." _

There was a click on the line, and Anthea went to the nearby wall and plugged in a jack, "Clear." She said.

_Let me tell you something, you didn't hear this from me, but it doesn't matter if those upstairs lose the supercomputers. Their plans are much bigger than that. That's why I switched over to the secure line. It doesn't matter. The supercomputers are nothing more than a contingency plan if their main endeavor doesn't work. They care about their investors because their investors will pave the way for a whole new realm of interconnectivity, the likes of which we've never seen. They're focused more on the viable future. Really, you're just the arm to keep the backup safe. You're a key master. No more, no less."  
_

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't work for those upstairs anymore," Anthea replied. 

"_You do, just in a higher rung of power with a better paycheck. So, you might not answer the old bosses, but that's alright. So, what's your mindset right now? You know you're required to move, so, what's your first move?"_

"Honestly? I'm going to need you to help me in a way I've likely not asked of you since you started working with us. I need you to go to an old contact of ours, Malik."

"_Anthea, he's been blacklisted by the company, that's a huge risk!" _

"Akiko, he's the only once I trust not to fuck either of us over and buy us both the time we need. Believe me, if you spend any more than ten more minutes on the line we are using, recording starts. Do as I am requesting of you. Make an excuse for your family, and I'll make sure you are on the first flight to Moscow tonight." 

"_Anthea, listen, it's not that simple. We have—"  
"_Six minutes."

"_Alright, fine! But if this goes tits up, you will be held to the fire, know that!"  
_

"I'm aware of that, but I am on the watchlist in Moscow. I'd be arrested as soon as I entered the Russian air space." 

"_I'll go. But you need to be formulating a plan. When can I leave?"  
_

"Depart through Terminal F within four hours," Anthea replied as she snapped her mobile shut. She then opened the mobile again and made another call. 

In the innermost reaches of Silicon Valley, a young man had just returned from a board meeting with various investors. As much as he genuinely appreciated the financial backing's realms, he loathed the constant assurances to his investors as to how his new lines of the product would work. Finally, finding time to sit in his office, in many ways, his sanctuary, he leaned back, turned on the AC, and just as he began to relax, his phone gently began to ring. 

Recognizing the ringtone, the man sighed, slightly annoyed, and he answered, "Hello, Anthea. How may I help you?" 

"_I'm sorry to disturb you, Monsieur Decadent, but the real reason you are in your lovely tower is about to be enacted. Activate the Synthesis Protocol."_

The man's eyes widened, "Alright, what are we looking at?"

"_Realistically, we're anticipating a sixty-forty ratio in our favor. I need you to prepare the necessary protocols, chiefly the hacker and the scrambler units."  
_

"Alright, and where are the ratios coming from?"

"_From the expedition probe, our friends took out when they activated the volt cannon. We were able to successfully assess the ratio of cyborg to raw organics."  
_

"Fuck. Well, alright. We'll get the forces immediately into production. They will be ready in four days to a week, depending on how quickly you need them." 

"_With respect, we need them quickly, but make sure you can optimize quality over quantity. When we integrate your specialists into the strike force, I need to have an assurance of functionality. Because once we march, North-Gate will be ready for war."  
_

"If it's not already, it will be. Alright, consider it done. Production will begin immediately what about the Elision extension program? Do you want that put into effect?"

"_We secured the funding from the states, so yes. Have that introduced with the traditional flash of the up and comer. It will establish our aspects in a far more official capacity." _

"Very good, and what about Nash on the top floor?" 

"_Never you mind about Nash. I've been six years planning this contingency plan, and I finally have the resources and manpower to make the most of it. Nash is human, as is any of us. He has the associated weaknesses or incentivization prospects therein."  
_

"Alright. I'll kick it off. You mobilize the troops with your resources. I can send the units upon their completion flight by flight. How much of a cyborg presence are we seeing from your bastard?" 

"_It's sufficient, but there are weaknesses in the design. I saw the battle reports. What I want you to focus on for the scramblers is field range for sweeps, not specific cases. Understand?"  
_

"Perfectly. Alright, I just sent the order for six squads for development to the boys downstairs. The first unit of six will be ready in four days and sent immediately to your ranks. We will also send the schematics to—"

"_No! You keep the schematics, Aaron. You keep them because if North-Gate gets hold of them, we're completely shot, and it'll know we have its Achilles heel and would adapt. Keep all your stuff in-house as much as possible and begin Gold Standard. That is how dedicated I am to safeguarding our secrets for this war."  
_

Aaron shuddered, "Understood. Your orders will be carried out immediately. I'll begin vetting the candidates."

"_Remember, North-Gate is not above stealth conversion, so have even those once selected to be vetted bi-monthly to be sure we don't have a fly in the ointment." _

"Man, you are not taking chances, are you?"

"_I know my daughter, my true daughter, anyway. Believe me, Aelita is soft as baby shit. But, Sylvia, she is far more like me, even to the point it kind of' creeps me out."  
_

"Is it not a touch ironic?" Aaron asked.

"_Go on."_

"The irony being, you birthed her, and yet you make a monster. You show yourself like a beast to one, a friend, albeit distant, to another. And the monster you make, you are prouder of her than you are the gentle one. Most parents would find the reverse to be true, not you."

"_Consider, dearest Aaron, I am not most like most parents. I have my own reasons, my own morbid curiosity to sate in doing as I do with my children. However, it doesn't mean I cannot appreciate one's magnificent capacity for war and the other's equal capacity for love." _

"I don't question your motives, just find them strange. Anyway, your units are in development. Anything else we need to start?"

"_Not as yet. However, I would have all your plants ready to implement Doctrine on the Eye." _

"Gotta' hand it to you, not many think this far ahead. Alright, the order is being sent. When do you anticipate moving on Eye?

"_Soon enough. The codeword will be Hyde." _

Aaron paused, "Are you sure?"

"_It is a mathematical certainty." _

"What about Sakura?"

"_She has served her purpose. She is still vital in her superiors' eyes, and that is fine, but that vitality will be questioned quite soon."  
_

"Are you sure about this? We can't replace Sakura if she is negated."

"_Aaron, who said anything about negating her? She has served her purpose, I said so. But never did I say anything about negating her. Merely that her vitality will be questioned. In the grand scheme, as you will see, my motivations behind my actions are much simpler than most would think." _

"Wait—do you mean—"

"_Aaron, it is best you don't overthink this as you are prone to do. It will give you a headache. You have your orders and the codeword to look out for. You will be given further instruction after our first few battles." _

"Do you need any reinforcements of the more conventional variety?"

"_I'd advise against that. Noble, as your intentions are, even with our extension program, it would raise a few flags to your oversight board. You can't risk that right now given recent evaluations. Let us do as we need. Your reinforcements will be of greater use on Eye when the plants activate. So, focus on your plan for that. You have the city layout, plan for pure suppression. Not a sound is to be made, all done behind closed doors. That is your focus right now. What is to be the first of many long-term effect projects."  
_

"I understand. I'll start on the fallout after the plants."

"_Good man. I'll talk to you soon." _

Aaron closed his phone as he looked outside at the night sky, "Alright, here's goes nothing."

Back at Kadic, Odd was working out in his room, doing his set of fifty pushups and sit-ups. He was preparing his body, making sure he was as much up to the task before him as he thought he was. There was a risk, Odd knew, risk of discovery, a risk of genuine painful retribution, but at the same time, he couldn't allow the threat to stand. 

Odd knew they would hate him, that those who he loved as friends and a second family would despise him. But equally, he knew if he was forthright, the higher risk was that it would all be for naught. Right now, he was in an ideal position to do what none had likely thought of. There was an immense risk on the other aspect of things as well. But it didn't mean he couldn't try, that he couldn't be smarter than a lot of people gave him credit for. 

"_No, no," _He thought to himself, "_I can't let this become a pride thing. I just can't. I must stick to what I know is right. To what I know needs to be done. Oh, guys, if only you knew how much it genuinely hurts me to do this. If only you knew."_

Odd continued his exercises, and as he did, the plan slowly formed within his mind of how to make the approach. He knew what he had to do once he was in position, that much had been explained to him. However, it didn't make the inevitable blowback easier to contemplate. Odd silently cried as the agony of what he was about to do weighed on him, more and more. 

"_No," _rang the aggressive voice of his mind, "_don't back out now. An opportunity like this won't happen again, it won't happen the same way. Yes, the risks are great, yes, the weight of all of this will be hefty, but you must look at the greater good. You have to look at the opportunity before you!" _

"_But these are my friends! Do you have any idea what it takes to consider this, let alone act it out?" _Odd thought in response, "_I do not take this lightly, and there's no one I can talk to about this! No one would understand for one, second, even among my close friends, they'd think I'm crazy! But I'm not! Look, I don't agree with Sylvia or North-Gate on everything. But, if things are as they truly say they are, to endure the corruption they see, it sounds like a foolish option to endure with true evil instead of getting a chance at true change." _

_"You can't make a truly satisfying breakfast without breaking a few eggs and slaughtering a pig. So, knowing this, what do you want to do? You can't ride the fence. Because I don't care how good you are, you see the potential for the monster that Sylvia can be. At the same time, what she has taught you is challenging your view of reality. Why? Because as much as you may not care for your parents' laisse-fair attitude, you value your father's opinion, you always have.  
_

_What has troubled you is your father's words are verified in a truly external source. So, you have to decide, knowing what you know, do you wish to march with the truly aware of those innocent? Like her or not, Sylvia shows you the world from not only her own, but multiple people's experience. So, what do you want in the end? Only you can decide that."  
_

Odd sighed as he headed out to the shower. As he headed down the hall, the words of Brynja came back, haunting him, "_Don't worry. Sometimes you make friends, sometimes you lose them, you make new ones." _

That was another issue, another thorn in his side that never really spoke of because what was the point. XANA was still active at the time, he had to maintain for the sake of the mission overall, but it didn't he didn't love Brynja. There was a reason for his steadfastness to her. It was not just her looks; indeed, it was a factor. However, Brynja had the same effect on him as the loadstone exercised over iron. He genuinely loved her, he cared for her. It was this coming into his own, finding someone of his own country, someone who got along with him, cherished him for him.

Odd knew the slanders, the whispers, the inaudible secret thoughts. From Casanova to Romeo, but then, if only they knew what it was like to truly be in love. But then, they did. It was out of the insistence of Yumi and Aelita that it was hammered home. Why then did they insist he break up with Brynja? The answer he more than knew. Sam, yeah, at this point, Odd admitted she was to fill that void, there wasn't any genuine love, it was usury in most situations, usually to his own detriment. But Brynja, there was no replacement. In many ways, he knew the reason, he knew it very well. 

Odd turned the knob and started the shower, he thought to himself, "_It was Jeremy and Ulrich, sad to say. My own best friend who had turned into a dog wanting to fuck like an animal in heat. It was because they were drawn to her out of genuine jealously, which for Jeremy especially has its own creep factor. Equally, think about this, they had no objections with every other girl I was with. But for some reason, Brynja was the exception. _

_Why? Because for once, I was happy, and it was with someone they both wanted for themselves because of their various reasons. More intellectually stimulating? Of course, Einstein." _

Odd adjusted the water, making it hotter, "_Every day up until she came, it was the same day in day out. Lay with a girl, go fight the X-Man, be sworn to secrecy, or risk losing exact control over an enormously powerful tool. I'm mostly sick of it. Usually, when I consider strategies, they back off or dismiss. Jeremy's real power with the supercomputer and Aelita are the only things he cares for, not wanting to put in the extra work to hone his warrior abilities. In many ways, he's secretly grateful for Sylvia._

_Fuck it, I'm sick of it. In all reality, I could have been fine had they allowed Brynja to be herself. But no. They had their own investments to take care of. Aelita and Yumi included. I was right when I told Yumi off, maybe a problem for you, but not for me."  
_

Odd sighed as he turned off the water, "Ah, what the hell. I'll go for it."

Aelita meanwhile was downtown with Yumi. They had come to a small café for lunch and upon entering saw William Dunbar. To their surprise, he'd filled out. He was more athletic, not so lanky. His arms were developed where he was sharp but not chiseled, his chest had expanded slightly, and Yumi could tell his legs were somewhat thicker. 

Aelita and Yumi sat with him, and William had already ordered them two mango teas. He looked at them, "It must be awfully dire if you come to me." 

Aelita was silent at first but then said after a moment of silence, "Jeremy has his trust issues, but that's nothing new. After recent developments, we saw no better alternative than to come to you." 

"I'm flattered." William said, somewhat sarcastically, "Alright, what's going down?" 

"Look, there's no easy way to say this." Yumi started, "What are your plans for your education?"

"Does it matter?"

"Somewhat. We need to know if you could help us and be one of us once more."

William sighed, "Things are different now. I have a job, and I have studies to be aware of, but I'm not going to the Kadic extension as most are. I'm going to a more public school. My parents didn't exactly see the viability after—heh, you know."

Aelita nodded, "Yeah. How are you feeling lately?"

"Honestly, not the best. I know what all XANA did, and to get a glimpse in his mind, it was not good. Not good at all. I've still had moments where I'll blackout and flashback somewhere, but it never makes sense to me." 

"What exactly do you see?" Aelita asked.

"Uh, what's the best way to explain it? Imagine being in an absolutely massive library on all topics and seeing both what is presented in what is called "base code" and then modified code, which I learned from XANA was what programming is when given to the machine. Still, the computer can process differently, given a specific situation. I saw XANA's pure form, Aelita, it was horrifying." 

"What did he look like?" Aelita asked.

William sighed, and a slight blush came to his face, "He was _beautiful."_

Aelita and Yumi replied in near unison, "What?!"

"I said it. XANA was beautiful. His avatar, whatever you nerds call it, it was gorgeous. His voice was soothing and kind and gentle. It wasn't what even I expected." 

Aelita nodded, "William, I come to you now because we need your help." Aelita sighed, "Odd's been compromised. XANA's gone, but something else has come along. Something a good deal worse." 

"Why do you need me exactly?" William asked, "Why not just recruit someone new?"

"Honestly, we don't have time as a luxury so much." Aelita replied, "This new entity is equally in the real-world moving things and in cyberspace. You have innate experience from both with our mutual friend and with us. So, that's why we come to you. I had to be honest with myself. I thought we had time, but in light of behavioral patterns, we're on an invisible clock of sorts with unknown status on the countdown."

William nodded, "I see." He sighed, "Alright. What's this new entity?"

Yumi spoke, "When you were with XANA, did he ever mention a program, or did you see a program called North-Gate?"

William shook his head, "No. Not at all. However, I didn't go to the Ns of the library either so, it's possible. Why is that what's after the world now?"

Yumi nodded, "The problem is, this thing is run by a highly intelligent human being. It's like a shrink but without scruples."

William nodded, "I see. Well, I'd have to be exposed to it to know what it's actively like."

"William," Yumi replied, "You don't want to tango with her. But she's the one, we're quite certain was behind the studio fiasco and additionally the attack you mentioned a while back."

"I see." William's eyes grew more intense, "So, she's that kind of mover."

Yumi looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

"She's shock and awe. Because that fiasco came completely out of left field. But that would make sense in a way. Because one of my buddies at work is the son of a first-responder. Suffice to say," he leaned in close to the girls, "They never found any remnants of _any_ bodies."

The girls' eyes went wide, "What?" Aelita said after processing this.

William nodded, "That's right. You see, they never released that to the press. No bodies were found at all. There was evidence of the blast, and we saw the physical damage to the building. It was catastrophic, sure. But—not one body was found. No residue, no DNA, no bone fragments, zilch."

Yumi replied, "How is that possible? We saw Edna unload on the guest, the woman fell and cracked her skull open. We saw TV burst into a ball of flame on live TV with Edna his camerawoman just behind him, we saw the blast from her vest, yet you say, there's no DNA? William, that's not possible. It defies science."

William shook his head, "Clearly, your friend in North-Gate has something we haven't seen before. You doubt me? Ask my friend's father. He's still undergoing therapy at St. Vincent's. Go ask him. His name is First Responder Erick-Gerard Schneider. I've talked to him myself, ask him. See what happens.

But I will join you as best I can in most operations. I mean, I had to look at it like this. XANA showed me how I can improve myself. I changed my body through exercise to be ready in case you guys needed me again. Clearly, I was not wrong to train." 

Aelita nodded, "I'll talk to Jeremy. But William, listen to me, North-Gate, she's not one to be underestimated. She's a lot smarter than most would think. She got Odd."

"Well, honesty, he wasn't that smart," William replied. 

Aelita shook her head, "First, you do not know what our enemy is like, you don't know what she's willing to do, or how she's willing to do it. Secondly, she's very emotionally intelligent and intuitive. It shocks me how good she is at that. Thirdly, watch that pride of yours. She feeds off that like a fat kid eats swiss rolls. If you're going to join us, good. But don't you dare talk down about a teammate who literally is not as dumb as he seems. Also, don't underestimate our enemy whom you've never met. Understand?" 

William was surprised, and he said, "How will I know her? You say the enemy is active in our world and the virtual, how will I know her?"

Aelita looked genuinely sad as she replied, "You won't. That's what makes her terrifying. She has faces and people you would never suspect. She fooled us once already. I'd hate to think or even know what she really has in that arsenal of hers."

William nodded, "Alright. So, I'm dealing with a psychological opponent. That's not exactly going to be easy. The mind is far more prone to actual attacks than the physical body. Meaning the mind is weaker. So, what's the plan? You say time is of the essence, what else should I know going in?"

"She changed Lyoko." Yumi replied, "It's no longer the simple, almost generic design of the individual sectors. From the one place we saw, the one sector, she's turned the sectors into a more genuine cityscape. She emphasizes verticality as well as the ability to flank. There are aspects of cover, but cover can be destroyed unless it's something more organic." 

"Ah, I see." William replied, "It's a real tactical place now. Elevation and maneuverability are the orders of the day. Okay. You say Odd is compromised, what about Ulrich?"

"That's the thing." Aelita replied, "We don't know his exact situation yet. In the worst-case scenario, he's out of the team, and so even if you came back, we're still down one warrior. Given the clock on the countdown, we can't be sure just what time we have to train a new warrior. Even if we did manage to get another recruited by some miracle, there are a lot of variables to consider." 

"Mm." William replied, "Question: With as much change as you say has happened, how much of the old Lyoko formula of life and so forth, how much of it remains true?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've already described a whole lot of what the changes are. But are there are any more fine-details of what I should expect?"

Yumi nodded, "When we went into Lyoko, our usual weapons were replaced with more traditional firearms and the like."

"Ahh, okay. So, that's another thing going on. Your friend has negated a lot of the familiarity of stuff but hasn't broken the program's foundational laws. If my assumptions are correct, it's actually more approachable in its own way. But to be sure, I'd have to go into the system to get a real feel for it." 

"There's a caveat, however." Yumi replied, "Our return to the past safety protocol has been negated by our friend." 

"So, a more fundamental question, how much of the Lyoko is familiar and foreign? How much is it accurately in your control?" 

Aelita nodded, "A good question. The answer is we don't entirely know. However, there's one thing we can always count on, if I can get to a tower, I will be able to still undo some core changes. Getting there, undetected, is a different issue." 

"It's not as hard as you may think it is." William replied, "If you're dealing with a psychologist, what you need to understand is that her test may not be your force. It could easily be your patience. Maybe patience and literally taking your time is the key to getting to the tower. Because if I understand this correctly, this North-Gate, she literally sounds like XANA's polar opposite. 

XANA was force and strength. This program sounds like the exact opposite, emphasizing patience and stealth. If the opposite is accurate, I wonder if my theory is correct. But do you want to test it out, though? Because if I'm right, we can take our time with some things. We may be under a proverbial time-limit, that's fine. We just have to be aware." 

Aelita nodded, "Alright. Good plan. I'll call Jeremy, and Yumi will text you with when we'll test your theory." 

William nodded, "I don't think this is something to overthink. If XANA was any indicator, these programs are not omniscient. If we can figure out the tripwires so to speak and are patient, we can meet our objective in our own time."

Aelita nodded, "Once we fully figure out how your reintegration will impact the new layout, we'll proceed with a test run as best we can. After all, a few sensors were explained to us already, and knowing our friend, she's not one to overhaul anything without sufficient cause." 

Yumi then spoke, "I remembered something. Sylvia had us make a character sheet in the way of designing our elements of combat and battle. That was under her system. Aelita, would it not make sense the same system transfers over to the individual supercomputer?" 

Aelita turned and said, "You're right! In theory, it's the transitive property! If that is the case, we have more control than we think. Just like she said, 'it's the fundamentals.' So, for her, there are set laws. Equally, we have more control than we had before when it comes to our own kits. I'm going to call Jeremy. I'll be back."

William watched her leave and then turned to Yumi, "So, this new thing. No joke, huh?"

Yumi shook her head, "No. It's genuine, and the thing is if what you say is legitimately true, the whole station's aftermath, we have an even bigger problem." 

"I'm not kidding, Yumi. Most first responders were sequestered after the event and transferred in most situations; Usually in exchange for a pay hike or something similar. Schneider knew there was something wrong and wanted to tell others about it. But he was put into the hospital under admin leave for mental health. But according to his son, there was no need for it. His father was perfectly healthy. Sure, he had a touch of booze, what family doesn't? But it hardly qualified him for mental assessment." 

Yumi nodded, "When are the usual visiting hours?"

"Eight to five. I can go with you if you like." 

"We'll see. We have to focus on—" Yumi's phone rang, and seeing her mother's number answered, "Yes, mom?" 

"_I'm headed out for a while. I'll be back two to three days. Keep watch over Hiroki, and if you need help, your father will be with you."  
_

"What's going on, Mom? You rarely make a trip without notifying us."

"_It's something for my job, Yumi. I'll be back in three days at most. I've left an emergency fund in your room in the third drawer of your dresser underneath your papers." _

"Wait, Mom."

"_Yeah, I know, I don't care right now. That is where the money is. We'll talk about your various activities when we get home. Also, your lettuce and your gummies are in my car. Try to stay somewhat aware. I know that school's not at the height of importance; even so, that's not an excuse to dull yourself."  
_

The call ended, and Yumi shook slightly as she closed her phone. 

"Problem?" William asked.

"Mom's mad because she found a stash."

"Your stash?" William said, slightly bemused, "Didn't take you for one who walked on the wild side." 

"That's just it, William. I never did. I don't know what she found, but it wasn't mine."

"You realize that's not going to fly over so well with an already strait-laced mother?" William replied.

"But it's the truth!" Yumi objected.

"I'm not the one you have to convince," William replied. 

Aelita returned, "I've spoken with Jeremy, and if you can arrange it, see if you can meet with us the day after tomorrow in the park. At four o'clock." 

William nodded, "Alright. I'll be there. It's good timing, honestly. 

Aelita shook his hand, "I'll see you soon."

William nodded, "Of course."

Yumi looked at him, "You're in for quite the ride."

William smiled, "If your friend is as tenacious as you describe, I think we'll have a lot of fun."

Yumi smiled and shook his hand, "Love the optimism. Hold onto that."

The two young women headed out, and Aelita said, "Well, we have a reserve. We're going to see how it goes." 

"Aelita, do you think Odd has genuinely left us?" Yumi asked

"No. But he bears watching. That's all I'll say. Don't treat him as if we don't trust him; don't ostracize him too much. We can't give him a reason to go to Sylvia. We just can't."

Sylvia was performing chin-ups when Terry entered the room, "Elder is headed to Moscow. What's the plan?"

"Location of the nearest asset," Sylvia replied. 

"Murmansk."

"Eta?"

"Two hours twenty-five minutes via a standard commercial flight." 

"Alright. Start it up. Emphasis on tailing Elder. Once at her destination, have component three go closer. Keep One and Two around her car. Keep note of her plates. Run the plates back through the provider and link the bank account. Reroute the number, traceback. Fire up the Cell." 

"Fire up, which method."

"Saboteur."

"Alright. As you insist. Are we ready for a resulting primary skirmish?" 

"Ready as we can be Terry. Mom's gonna' feel us out. I intend to do the same."

"Very well."

Terry headed out, and Sylvia finished her reps and dropped to the ground. Her body was nearly back to standards for her troops. That was more than fine. 

Sylvia picked up a phone and said, "Transfer to Mengele."

Yolanda picked up in her office, "Yes?"

"Bio-Warrior. Stat."

"You sure?" Yolanda asked.

"Never been surer."

"Done."

Yolanda hanged up and sent a signal along the airways. Maria received the message at the station and seeing the command, bolted from her desk with order directly down to R&D. 

"Chameleon, repeat Chameleon." She said to the staff who immediately stopped their coffee break and began firing up various machines and as Maria observed the power of the ant army of the intellectuals.

Maria sighed, "So, it begins."


	57. Chapter 57

_**This chapter came after a prayer simply because, in my mind, I'd completely lost track of time and thought I was a week behind. Suffice it to say, my prayers have been answered in more ways than one. I thank God for his help with this element, and I thank all of you who have been steadfast readers and reviewers for providing me the motivation to keep working. **_

_**Also, a bit of a side note, on Watt Pad, my title is the inverse of my original title. The reason being was I made a big mistake in formatting with the initial draft and had to restructure. However, the penname is still the same. Sorry for those of you who couldn't find it quickly before.-Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 57

Akiko was immensely tired as she boarded the flight to Moscow. It had already been a long day, and she knew it was only about to get worse. Anthea had sent her into what could only be described as a leper colony, at least that's how most of the boys upstairs viewed Moscow. To many of them, it was an old city, an old city with callused and ever-remembering scars. What bothered the boys upstairs was that all of them knew Moscow never forgot. It never forgot its traitors, phantom business ventures, teachings, and, most importantly, its students.

One such student was the man Akiko was sent to go see. As he was known to upstairs, Malik, or his real name, Henrick Shaulitz, was, in many regards, a master designer and computer engineering expert. Shaulitz was seen as the father of Russian digital communications by lesser floors of the Politburo until receiving his due. hH had been elevated due to his merits and contributions. Shaulitz didn't follow the immense aspects of fervor that swept most of the Soviet Bloc with the fall of the Wall. No, he stuck to his principles, stuck to the regime that he knew well in many ways, and had grown up alongside.

The times were different, the rest of the world would say this. However, to Shaulitz, time only changed in terms of its literal passage. He knew that the machine he served would undergo the same overhaul the same changing out of parts, as the traditional firearm. This was not by accident; it was merely the way of things. This process was to, as he believed, "suit the situation in which one finds oneself."

In many ways, Shaulitz was so dedicated to this view, that many around him thought him crazy; that many considered him as he lovingly joked, "The stick in the mud." However, to him, to be aware of reality, aware of what truly _was_ despite sensationalism and fervor, _that _was pure power. Shaulitz maintained his position, continued his work, keeping all of his crucial work secret while merely going through the ebbs and flows of the restructuring of the "perceived norm."

The boys upstairs had recruited Shaulitz once they'd dug enough into the records, they had their infiltrators steal from the Politburo in their various actives. The top brass, as they were prone to do, didn't see him with any particular degree of merit at first. However, upon mentioning his direct name within the information they had attained from their 'cousin's' spy, Dimitri Polyakov, they took him a bit more seriously. Shaulitz in time was evaluated; Once his work and projects were found to be of genuine worth for their purposes, he was brought in to covertly monitor the Carthage project.

In many ways, Akiko knew the boys upstairs simply wouldn't admit they'd fumbled with their lack of oversight on Carthage. Even if made known, Akiko knew that upstairs would have been only slightly devasted anyway. Not even devastated somewhat, truth be told, more inconvenienced. Failure as far as upstairs was concerned, 'never really happened.' The only reason they believed this was they had their suppressing methods and repressing much in terms of 'negative exposure.' All that was needed, especially as Akiko could see the ins and outs, was simply bury the central aspect of their 'failure' with as most sleazy investment bankers would say, the bigger, better deal.

This took many forms, but the most natural method was sensationalism; a few juicy murders, a celebrity meltdown or two, a few riots, a whole bunch of superfluous shit of that nature that the common man just loved to fight with his neighbor about. As many in their position did, the boys upstairs knew the power of information and the want of the common man to be _informed_.

Carthage's dissolution, however, was not even so much a matter of negative press. But the simple fact that upstairs had hired 'one too many thinkers' as they tastefully termed in the dossier. Akiko knew, have enough brains working on a project, and suddenly someone has an attack of conscience and can't adhere to the project's process and functions. Waldo Schaeffer was one such man, Jonathan Barrow, another.

These two men diverged from the project, doing their own clandestine work together to combat Carthage. Shaulitz had informed the boys upstairs multiple times as to the two men and their operations off of traditional work grounds. Shaulitz was simply doing his job as a bureaucrat should. However, in time, upstairs gradually noticed as reports kept coming in.

The willful design of the two scientists wasn't the exact reason upstairs shut down Carthage. They needed sufficient documentation to justify shutting down Carthage. They, as all people of their kind, had investors and to shut down a project of Carthage's scale due to two scientists' countermeasures was a massive point of operational failure and incompetence. In the end, Carthage was a project that they had failed to contain. But this was not exactly how it was presented to the investors.

To hear the lip men say it, the shortcomings from Carthage were 'by design.' They anticipated that 'statistically speaking' there were those who would be bound to object and devise their own solution to destroy Carthage. The real investment is not in Carthage, they claimed, but the workers' contingency plans when they felt they were genuinely unobserved. Therefore, allow this program to go on just a little bit longer.

In all reality, they wanted Schaeffer and Barrow to finish their work. Because the contingency plan devised by both men proved far more marketable as a weapon of the savior. Carthage would be implemented as the penultimate smear campaign. It would have been uploaded into 'hostile threats,' making those 'threats' the real enemy of their own people. The boys upstairs would, in turn, use the contingency plan to actively 'restore order to a chaotic country.' But as with all powers of their caliber, 'this isn't a charity, there are conditions for our help.'

Akiko chuckled as she reflected on all this leading up to the very boarding of the plane. She thought, "_It's the same old humdrum talkie-talk political scheming that has been going on since the birth of every country ever." _She sighed as she thought, "_Unfortunately, even though they got what they wanted from their backers, well reality threw them a curve-ball. Shaulitz was right in the end, it doesn't matter the sensationalism or the goings-on. The system adapts and changes out its parts.  
_

_The boys upstairs had to restructure after their honey-trap didn't correctly work. That __**was **__Anthea's fault, although she'd never admitted it. She went to all that work, punched out two kids, and yet, for all that, I find it a bit odd she didn't secure her objective. Tsk, tsk, sloppy."  
_

At that moment, the stewardess appeared and asked if Akiko needed anything. She replied, "Peanuts with Chardonnay."

As the woman went back for the drink, she made eye contact with a lady a few rows back. The lady checked her pocket watch, and once sure of the landing, she wrote down a series of numbers. The stewardess passed one last time, and the woman raised her hand. The woman looked at her, and she handed her the paper. Looking at it, the stewardess nodded and proceeded towards Akiko with her refreshments.

As Akiko took her refreshments, the paper was given to her as well. Akiko looked at the stewardess who smiled, "May I help you with anything else?"

Akiko looked at the paper and then looked at the stewardess's hands. On the right one, she saw the tip of the pinkie had been cut off. She looked at the stewardess, who asked, "Nothing more?"

Akiko shook her head, "Thank you."

The stewardess nodded and headed back to the kitchen. On the way back, she tapped the woman on the shoulder who'd given her the paper.

Akiko took the paper and looked at both sides. On the lower right-hand corner of the otherwise blank side, she saw the scrawl, Under Seaboat.

Checking underneath her seat, she felt the soft fringes of expensive brochure paper. Taking out the brochure, she saw it had on its face, a yacht. Referencing the code, line by line, section by section, she found the message, "_Congratulate yourself on your work. Your time has been well spent, and it is time to reap the rewards. A vacation in Cancun awaits you. Someone of distinction will catch the attention of Lieberman Industries. Embrace the Highest Standard."_

Akiko sighed with relief. Her work was finished. Her time living perhaps the most intense lie was now finished. Those who had overseen her had seen all they needed to. Her heart was indeed now at peace, free from the weight of what she knew was sure to come.

At that moment, the woman from a few rows back come to her isle. Akiko saw the woman's chased silver pen, gestured to the empty seat next to her, tucking her legs so that the woman could pass through. Akiko saw she was quite slender, her look and demeanor were almost typical of upstairs to the point of being stereotypical. Her hair was blonde and short, her glasses were immaculately clean. Her suit was of iron-grey, her shoes matching and in terms of visual presentation as immaculately clean as the woman's lenses.

The woman sat down and was silent for four minutes, looking outside at the dark forest below. Upon resting her head against the back of the seat, she said softly, "I wondered how long it would take you to get this far. Your progress was really quite phenomenal."

Akiko looked at her and replied just as softly, "There were a few things I had to consider. Maintaining relations wasn't exactly easy."

"I'm aware. You've made your sacrifices, made your bones. But fret not. All these things have been recorded thanks in no small part to your diligence and dedication to our communication. We have all the necessary evidence to proceed with our business venture."

"What about my family?" Akiko asked.

"What about them?"

"Wouldn't my change in operational capacity have an impact on the traditional model?"

"Yes, but it is nothing to be overly concerned with. We will ensure that your transfer is safe and unknown to our rogue elements."

"I highly request you make that promise top priority. Miss. Hopper is, to say the least, persistent."

"I assure you; we are well aware of her tenacity. Unfortunately, as much as you may have desired her liquidation, we cannot follow through with such a promise. At least, not at present."

"Why not?"

"She has proven herself invaluable to deposing the current run of affairs at the old boys' club. Because of this efficiency, the board has agreed that she is to be instated take the place of the old guard."

"Are you insane? That woman can't be trusted."

"You have to understand that even my friends didn't intend it this way. That is why after you're transferred, you are to be given a new contact. You will like him; Serge is his name. He is like you, very smart, very intuitive."

"With respect, I don't think that's wise."

"It's a lot wiser than those upstairs have been. So, goodbye, my friend. Maybe one day, I'll see you in The Council." The woman got up, and she headed back to her seat.

Akiko gently rested her head against the chair back. There was a tightness in her chest, a constriction that could only be attributed to the tension she felt. Even though she had gotten this far, and everything was in motion, she still had to fulfill her portion to Anthea to not raise a flag immediately.

"_Don't worry," _she thought to herself, "_this shit is almost done. I'll be so happy when that day comes. This is just getting too risky, and even so, I know this is a test coming up. Something is going to happen. Anthea never makes these kinds of decisions freely. So, we'll see. If the shit truly hits the fan, I know I can get the safehouse ideally using side-roads in an hour or so. Even then, I'd have to keep my cool among the civilians to not raise any flags and get caught on an everyday violation." _

Back at North-Gate's facility, Sylvia was inside Lyoko, looking over various elements of unit specialties. After multiple degrees of testing, she was more than satisfied with her scout units. Sylvia had given them adequate calibration and skills based on already preexisting models. Going sector by sector, she made the appropriate changes to all groups therein, and as she tested out the unit viability, she transferred those notes to Protocol Five's headquarters.

On the receiving end, the orders were looked at by the chief scientists and engineers, and one of them said, "It's official, we're launching."

The staff immediately went to work with the development of the orders, and soon a call was received at Yolanda's office.

Yolanda picked up, and after a moment, she replied, "That's correct. I sent the paperwork last night after the order was given. Right."

Yolanda hung up the receiver, and as she went through the infirmary, she checked the various secret panels that were hidden throughout the room. Once finished, she sat back down in her seat. Everything was ready in case of the order for immediate extraction. Yolanda knew the countdown had finished, the only thing she was waiting for was the next test of the city emergency response systems.

Upstairs, Delmas received a call on his office line, and he replied, "Hello, this is headmaster Jean-Pierre Delmas, how may I help you?"

"_I know what you've done. I know who you spoke to. I'm quite upset and disappointed, Jean. I thought you genuinely cared. But you do not have the stones or the heart to do what is necessary anymore. _

_All our talks, dinners, heart to heart moments, __for what?!__ To have a fifty-fifty chance that you would come out on top? You were my trusted asset, the oldest asset in the civilian sector, and you do this to me? I weep for you. You have made your bed, now you will be made to lie in it." _

Delmas felt his heart fall into his stomach like a stone, "Please, please, Sylvia." He said in a shocked whisper, "Have mercy."

"_Okay, I will. You see, I genuinely contemplated killing you. However, I am not as I used to be. To your situational credit, there was an extenuating circumstance that I chose to give credence to. You will go about your everyday life. You simply will not have the comfort, clout, and convenience with the ease you once did. You will have your reference from the establishment. It is a one-time reference, so use your next vocational choice wisely and in accordance with your skills." _

Jean-Pierre was stunned, "Why? This measure of mercy?"

"_Could it not be because you asked for it? Besides, the regime is not as old as it once was. After time watching, listening, waiting, I have made my decision. I have walked amongst you and talked to the most honest of you. Gone are the draconian methods unless truly made mandatory. The focus of justice is that of restorative measures, it should be at any rate. I have seen many human storage units of no benefit to anyone except for the keepers of society's so-called 'undesired.' No more.  
_

_You will not be disgraced. I suggest you take a vacation using this time to 'reevaluate your situation' as most vocational rehabilitation counselors say. Once you have decided on what is to be, you will go to a family resource center and submit a form of query. Our assets will be attentive, evaluate you, and give you the associated suitable reference. Goodbye, Jean.  
_

The line clicked, and the dial tone greeted Delmas's ear.

Delmas hanged up the receiver, and he sat down, stunned, to say the very least.

"I can't believe it." He said to himself, "She's letting me live. She's letting me live—why?"

Back at the North-Gate facility, Sylvia had hung up the receiver, and she leaned back in her chair.

"You did good, Kid," Terry said with a smile as he skinned an apple, "You did phenomenally well right now. Gotta' give credit where due, I didn't think Magali would make that big an impact on you."

"Well, she did. She gave me some excellent reading material and some thorough discussion. I'm just tired, Terry. Thankfully, a lot of this is in motion, and I have done my best to negate the chief players that can ethically be negated. Larger players with more extenuating circumstances are a touch different. As much as I would be justified in doing what I would need to do, there are better ways to do what is needed while equally satisfying those afflicted by their actions and ours in response. They aren't off the hook per se, but true justice must prevail."

"I can see why you brought her into Materhorne. We can very much utilize people of her skills."

"My bringing her into Materhorne is based on a bit more than utilization of her talents, but yes. She is a mind I can most certainly benefit from. Terry, I've meant to ask, how goes our superweapon progress?"

Terry smiled and said, "Come with me."

Sylvia followed Terry deeper into the bowels underneath the North-Gate facility. Soon, they reached a chamber. A chamber that Sylvia could hear a beautiful, almost heavenly chorus singing and the energy changed from neutral to profoundly relaxing.

"Oh," Sylvia said in relief, "I can feel it."

Terry nodded, and taking her hand, pressed it into a small portion of the wall. Cyan-colored energy emanated from her hand's placement all over the door, and the door opened. Sylvia entered in, and she saw inside.

Sylvia walked in slowly but happily as if a moth drawn to the flame.

Terry walked alongside her, "We haven't gone into the realms of the greater elements of the capabilities. I felt those were best considered and officiated only by you."

Sylvia sighed contentedly, "You have done very well. May I see the scepters?"

Terry replied, "Go to the command module in the center of the room."

Sylvia approached the center in the room. Seeing nothing before her, she said, "Terry, I don't see a command module." At that moment, a small pillar of black shining metal with cyan accents throughout rose out of the floor.

Looking at, Terry Sylvia said, "Terry, I think it heard me."

"In a way, you're correct. After going over some of our older files, we have made more effective implementations. This very chamber answer to your will and your voice alone. The second you put your hand on the panel of the door, you were initiated as sole commander of units and chief director of production."

"What if our friends get ahold of our more personal technologies?"

"Even if they pulled it off, it's nothing to worry about. This chamber is calibrated directly into your DNA, but it has given you a fail-safe, rewriting of your DNA to a small degree but so distinct that it _cannot _be duplicated. Even in danger of your mortal life, you will be immediately phase-shifted into this chamber. Once here, you will be fully restored by one of the reinforcement crystals of this place to full health and vitality."

"I was wondering why you insisted I use by natural body for this process." Sylvia replied with a light chuckle."

"Yes. Also, I meant to ask you, you would like for the crystals to undo your scars?"

Sylvia looked at him and, after a moment, replied, "No. As nice as it would be, no. As it was once said, 'Our scars have the ability to remind us our past was real.' So, no. Thank you, but no."

Terry nodded, somewhat surprised. "Alright, well, all the system needs is your vocal signature. You can implement this however you wish, as will a vocal imprint for the greater element development and deployment. So, take your time, and when done, I'll be outside."

Sylvia turned back to the console and said, "I'd like to plant the vocal imprint for higher development."

A small energized display came up, saying, "Input Recording."

Sylvia collected herself and began to sing, "Because these green hills are not highland hills, nor the island hills, they're not my land's hills. And fair as these green foreign hills may be, they are not the hills of home."

Outside, Terry could hear her singing. He knew very well where she was in her mindset. Her father had taught her that song. Much as all of North-Gate's operatives had learned that song as children from their parents. "_How fitting." _He thought, "_How fitting she should choose the lullaby of home_."

The screen then changed, "Input received and confirmed. Native vocal signature isolated."

Sylvia left the room, the doors of which closed behind her. She approached Terry, saying, "It is truly amazing that you carried over that much."

"Not really. There was a reason when we calibrated the portal that I was exact on what was allowed per agent to bring. Too much stress on the portal in terms of components would have severed connection. However, with each passage, the portal would weaken and need to be restructured until such time as we could stabilize under our positions here on good ole' terra firma."

"Ah, I see. So, the very weight of all this really did have a tax on the portal. So, now I see why. All of this was protracted because it had to recover from the raw weight of all of that."

"That, and other things besides. But yes, the principle is very much clear to you. This is why when we came here, we had to be sure of viable conditions. That's one of the secondary objectives that I had placed in Yolanda's dossier. So, you can now more than understand why she's a touch burnt out of the place.

Additionally, we have, through our experimentations, figured out solidly the maximum range of the portals, and so, they have a massive range in our general location. However, back home, we've calibrated it so that we can get back home with minimal fuss, but we'd all have to be there. Because as expedient as the portals are, well—even though we strengthened the weight threshold, the tradeoff was the duration of the portal's availability."

"So, really. When finished, we should focus on raw group extraction first?"

"Well, not even that so much that. That's part of it, don't get me wrong, but not the best method. We implement what we learned in Havana: send out the major workings first, let the portal heal as we steadily disassemble operation components, and then finally, we all go home in a final group extraction."

At that moment, hurried footsteps were heard to approach, and both Sylvia and Terry looked up and saw Frankie come down towards them, "Terry, Sylvie, just got the word. Everything's in place for Elder's arrival in Moscow. Our tail is in place for her arrival, and we isolated the individual renting service scouring all incoming orders correlated to her name and associated aliases. The service is simply a front for Decay's mobilization of agents within cities and points abroad. But it all ties back into a major production cell. We have followed your command, and the saboteur is on his way."

Sylvia nodded, "Well done. Where is the location of the cell?"

"Bangkok."

"Smart, smart." Sylvia said as she gave a wolfish grin, "It is out of the way, in a relatively underdeveloped locale. Okay, the asset's on his way—okay, now that we know a portion of the shell, correlate all known investments and ventures to see if we can translate that to airline travel. Once that is done, _if_ it can be done, send the reserve saboteur to that location.

Additionally, now we know the location of the Bangkok manufacturing cell, look at who provides the juice and lifeblood for the plant. I have a feeling I know the answer, and if I'm correct, we can truly put the screws to Decay."

Frankie nodded, "Impacting connections, huh?"

"Mm-hmm." Sylvia replied, "I used to think that raw finance would impact them, and it largely would. But if we can slow Decay's agents, we can buy a bit more necessary time to get a true inside-man. Once that is done, we localize major production areas for their operations and be significantly more certain of genuinely painful blows to those country-club bastards."

Frankie chuckled, and he said, "Hey, kid, do you know what irony is?"

"Kid? I'm three years older than you are."

"You have a young body, and to all appearances, you are a slightly younger adult who just left puberty."

"Well, excuse me for having an effective cryogenic preservation measure. Actually—"

Sylvia was quiet, and Frankie and Terry saw a morbid smile grow on her face, "Thank you, Franklin."

"I know that look in your eyes, all too well. What're you going to do?" Frankie replied.

Sylvia smiled, "What look? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mm-hmm," Ricky replied.

"Anyway, boy and girl," Terry said, coming back to the main topic, "we know what we're going to do. By the way, I noticed you have Yolanda clearance to go full-on biological, does that mean that we're' going to purely preservation methods?"

"Yes. I thought about it, and as good as the Nietzsche doctrine is for certain things, it didn't have quite the emphasis that I felt is better. Going biological helps us make full use of everything with relative ability to heal and continue onward. There are elements of Nietzsche that will be used, chiefly for repurposing. However, I work on the biological out of this commonsense principle. The principle being, I want precision and effectiveness. I don't want to do a whole bunch of drywall work."

"So, that's why you're doing this?" Frankie asked, "Okay, that actually makes a lot of sense. Are you firing up the engineering lab as a result?"

"Oh, yes. It's already in operation. So, we'll bring in the new recruits one by one, and give them a chemical most beneficial to their desired operational capacity."

Sylvia checked her watch, "Alright, I'm going to get some sleep. I've been up since two in the morning. Unless it is a truly dire situation, please let me sleep."

The two nodded, and as Sylvia headed back upstairs, Frankie said, "Man, she really has changed. What the heck happened in Kadic?"

"Honestly, if this is the result, I don't care. It works. Also, Frankie, I know you oversee a lot of Materhorne's finer elements. Make sure Magali de Vasseur is well taken care of. Top Priority."

Frankie nodded, "Will do." Frankie headed back upstairs, and Terry, after looking back at the door, though, "_It's in motion now. I think we have a chance. A chance to truly make all our work become the epitome of what we'd all hoped. I pray Sylvie stays her current course."_

Several hours later, Anthea was headed towards the office's executive dining room for lunch, and as she approached the mahogany door, her phone immediately started profusely vibrating. She looked at it, and she saw her phone was blowing up and not at all in a good way. The calls and messages that were coming in were from her overseers, the real people upstairs.

Anthea looked first at a series of texts, the first several were from William Donnelly, who was overseer of accounts for what the organization termed, "public transit."

As she read, her heart started to pound, her hands shook, and she felt her entire being beginning to plummet into the pit of her stomach. This time, she looked further at a series of texts from Mitchell Strange, who served as overseer to more public venues of the organization.

As she read, Anthea's fear turned to anger, and she growled, "What the fuck did you do, kid? What the fuck did you do?!"

Anthea need not the question, the evidence was before her in a stream of text-messages that grew deeper and wider every passing minute. North-Gate had struck but not casually. The entire factory in Bangkok had been destroyed. There was a massive fiery blast in the industrial quadrant from the factory itself. It had been deliberately public in force so that the press of various areas would flood the scene.

In a way, yes, upstairs had prepared for something like this, however, not to this degree. This was because the very element of the attack had impacted Bangkok personally. The power station and the water-treatment plant, which fed the factory as a tertiary function, also provided power and clean water to a vast majority of the upper and middle-class of the city's industrial sector. The water treatment plant had been devastated in function, but it could be repaired. The repairs would cost a significant amount of money putting Decay near the red.

What made it worse was the high-efficiency electrical station, which allowed for not only the factory but a significant portion of a restructured entertainment district power, had been sabotaged. The damage to the civilian sector had been primarily negated. Still, because select elements of the manufacturing plant had been tied into an overlap of the private sector, there were significant losses. However, according to a Decay assessor on sight, the larger hospital which relied on the same power station, it's power was untouched or impacted.

"_So," _Anthea thought, _"the little weasel axes our plant, cuts out its guts in a way, but sufficiently enough of a spectacle to draw in the press as the greedy foxes they are and with things on the international scale, notice from our friends who'd we rather not notice us at all. You little bitch. There will be an investigation, of course, there's going to have to be especially given the scale of impact. There won't be as easy a minimization as usual."  
_

Anthea looked at her phone, and her direct overseer, Samuel Moore, had called her to his office. Internally she cursed herself and headed to the elevator. "_We have two reserve super-computers. Even if we could roll back the clock, the loss of civilian life couldn't be changed. It's that massive that even if we could restore those lives, the phantom death collateral would be too much. Heh, the sly bastards. They knew it. Alright. Alright, you snake. You think you can play with the adults? Let's play."  
_

Pressing the up button, she waited for the elevator to come down. As she waited, her phone chimed, and fear shot through her, it was the tone that belonged to Lance Avensford, the chief director of agent oversight in Paris.

Anthea dreaded this call. Lance never called unless there was a genuine problem. A problem that usually went far and beyond a simple operational setback.

Opening her phone, she said, "I know, Lance. It's really fucked up right now."

"_Oh, sister, it's beyond that now. I know you've likely heard already of the factory. But it's worse. We recovered data from the surviving footage of the last few moments before the bombing. Anthea, it was one of our own."_

"Honestly, after what happened with Chloe Vargas, I'm not surprised that's what happened. Who was it?"

"_It wasn't some freelance agent, some nobody like Chloe Vargas, no. Anthea, it was Gregory Hitchens."_

Anthea was shocked, "Gregory?! How?!"

"_That's just it, we don't know. Gregory was with us constantly throughout our operation when we set up."  
_

"I know. I set him up with the safe-house in Munich."

The elevator gently rang, and the doors opened. Anthea stepped inside and pressed floor ten.

_"I know. Greg had been doing his work there as he was assigned. He'd checked in and out every day except for the free weekends. Our cameras confirm Greg was there every day. He did his work, did everything as he instructed—an exemplary agent. Utilizing our connections a few hours ago, he went on an oversight mission to Bangkok.  
_

_I didn't think anything of it. I figured that Greg was simply doing a financial check, and he had to be on the ground to see it. But now—now, we face a very troubling scenario. Someone had to hand him off. No one can just walk up to our safehouses, you must have clearance. However, he was converted, someone was complicit."  
_

"Could this move not equally be from our cousins?" Anthea asked.

"_I thought that myself. Honestly, Anthea, I think your friend is our leak. There was a booked flight to a black site operative for Kyoto. Do you know why she's on the move?"_

"Sir, I deliberately sent her there. I figured that North-Gate would tail her once she arrived in Moscow. I only came to this idea after the fall-through of the Assendorp trap."

"_I see. You figured the program had spies somewhere there due to the phantom presence we found as a keen investor in our departed friend. Your instinct was good. So, I see why you did it. However, the taxi used to shuttle Kyoto had its number run by some source and rerouted back to the civilian sector. However, they went further, attacking the factory itself. Stay where you are right now, do not leave the compound. I will personally recall Kyoto."  
_

The line disconnected, and Anthea thought, _"Alright, the plan didn't go exactly in the pace I wanted that's fine. Just need to bide my time a bit longer, that's all that's needed." _

The elevator door opened. Anthea stepped out in the realm, the pit what was the domain of "the boys upstairs."

The elegant glass served as the walls were tempered, but of such immaculate cleanliness, Anthea knew why many of what used to be her former station and below felt like on a sunny day they were entering paradise. In the traditional position of the sun, the lobby would be continually garbed in a light so bright that it would be dazzling. The floor was of pure white marble with leaves of black marble in a painstakingly made cut to resemble the compass rose. Gold-leaf trim accented the needles with small ruby embellishments at the very tips of the dominant needles.

The boys upstairs, Anthea knew, believed fervently that they were the captains of the ship. The ship being humanity's future. The compass was explained to her by Samuel Moore. When he was the commander aspirant, black to symbolize that humanity stupidly believed as a collective, the power of nations belonged in the hands of the people. The gold edges symbolized the world's financiers, gently enforcing their will and vision of order through a monetary structure, clearly defining the nations' hierarchy. The ruby tips symbolized the blood of the kings and queens, the appointed sovereigns of the masses.

Some would argue these sovereigns were appointed by God. Those upstairs had long done away with what they'd termed "such foolish superstitions." For them, their kings were established at first by bloodline, ferocity came next as it showed a willingness to survive. This, too, had to give way to 'more genuine appraisals of merit' in the form of monetary power graduating in time to natural qualities of charisma.

As Anthea remembered this explanation walking towards Samuel's door, she thought, "_How quaint. Going from true survival measures and skill to the soothing tongues gives the people exactly what they think they want. Tell them what they want to hear against a man warning them of you. Deriding, disgracing that man until he is as countless others, forgotten in the grave. It's efficient. It always has been.  
_

_It's just a changing out of your parts and your covering making yourself beautiful and your innermost processes all that more efficient to meet your own ends."_

Anthea knocked at the door, and the door opened. Samuel sat before her, the noon sun shining elegantly on the compass of direction mounted on the wall behind him. He looked different now than he did six years ago when they first met. He was harder, colder. It was in his eyes. His face was somewhat wrinkled around the edges of his mouth; his hair was once black, and silken. Now it had small hints of grey throughout and was no longer long but cut to the standard of the captains.

They had stripped him of the wise and kind man he had been, eager to help and comfort. The man before her was as cold and emotionless as the marble floor, which she trod upon to get to his door. Like that floor, the colors and elegance were of only surface-level necessity—a necessity of hiding a darker binary choice. Black or white; to be of the enlightened or the pleb; to be of the servant or the masters.

"Anthea, come in." He said, his somewhat raspy despite its soft commanding nature, "We have much to discuss."


	58. Chapter 58

_**AN: This chapter came after extensive consideration between what I wanted to do from innovation with the plot and the original drafting of the plot outline. It took me a bit of time to reconcile what I wanted to do, but and I have reached my decision to follow the original outline.  
**_

_**I thank all of you who have read, reviewed, and continue to read my work. I am incredibly grateful to all of you for helping me through your reading and your encouragement to press on with my story. I am equally thankful to God for as much as I followed my original plotline, I felt I'd lost my way in some regards. Through God's help and patience, I have been able to restore myself to my original intent.  
**_

_**I thank you all for your support, and I will see you next chapter.—Pagliacci-11.  
**_

Chapter 58

Anthea headed towards the elevator from the executive offices down to the lobby. She'd been given her orders to stop North-Gate by any and all means possible. She laughed to herself as she pressed the call button for the elevator. Although the license of action allowed her to tap into all resources, to narrow down just where North-Gate was another matter. However, to make her job more comfortable, she had asked Samuel to give her access to Dr. Gupta. Samuel agreed, and Gupta would arrive in the morning. 

The elevator bell rang richly, and the doors opened. Anthea entered, and she gave a sighed as she let the back of her head rest against the wall. Many organization overseers had already started talking to Samuel about how to best recover the losses and contain the media mob that was building in Bangkok. Samuel was going to be fielding them the rest of the night and likely until noon the next day. If anything, Anthea did not envy him in this situation. She knew that this was just part of the trappings of the job, not the perks, hell no, the trappings. 

As Anthea descended, she knew that there were elements she now had to genuinely account for. North-Gate's liquidation was top of the list for the bosses right now. Anthea's mission expenses would be very much accounted for, but in the first few moves, she knew she had a good bit of operational freedom. So, to make the most of those moves, Anthea knew that she had to equally defend her interests and be on the offense. This was easier than most anticipated, for it was by these methods and embracing risk that Anthea had made it this far in her life and career. 

Through a vast series of slow, premediated, and calculated moves, Anthea had risen through the ranks. Through subversion, assassination, blackmail, marital ruses, and countless other elements, she secured her own power and reputation amongst the most treacherous wolves. Why? For two reasons, to advance her career far enough to be so connected that she and her 'treasured ones' would be truly untouchable and simultaneously invisible. Second, she had been shaped by her understanding of "the game." The game that blatantly says as its most sacred rule, life is not fair.

Using this mantra, Anthea rationalized early on, the world does not play by any rules. Why should she? People could profess to her that there were no hierarchies; there weren't gatekeepers. Oh, but there were. She only found this out through personal pain and observation of others' suffering. The gatekeepers, however, were not the people but the money behind those people. She'd learned early on that money is the real power, the true god of the world. The people who have it are merely the vessels holding the funds that other vessels want for themselves. Thus, friendships are made, contracts are drawn up, and from that, businesses are made. 

Very few entrepreneurs out there genuinely had to work hard for their money. Most of them had a resource to tap into and had the liberty of making trial and error calls on business. But Anthea saw; also, there were tons of monopiles, but for some reason, significant establishments of renown were never called that. So, once learning the laws of reality, Anthea matured mentally. She saw the world as she perceived it to be, a world that only makes laws pervert them. Do as I say, not as I do. 

Anthea chuckled, as she thought, "_The self-righteous bastards. Making a killing in everything they do without paying their dues."_

However, secretly there was a question that shook Anthea to her foundations. A question she never dared speak aloud. She reflected all those years ago. When pregnant with John Barrow's daughter, there was something that no one, not even Akiko, knew that had transpired.

When in labor with Sylvia, Barrow was at work, perfecting the final portions of North-Gate. His later work on the project, Anthea, encouraged him to do from home to keep a more convenient tab on him. However, he had insisted that day he go to the lab. There were complications in delivery, and the doctor had to perform a cesarian section. Even though delivery was a success, the baby had died from SIDS. That was in 1989 after Anthea had staged her disappearance with Barrow when she'd started to show signs of pregnancy. Her goal was to be with him to get her hands on North-Gate when it was ready.

Sylvia-Anna Penrose Barrow and Johnathan Barrow were in all rights and respects dead as doornails. What bothered Anthea in the pit of her being was the lingering question: Who were these people in their place? The woman claiming to be Sylvia and the man who, without any doubt, was John Barrow? How was it possible? The dead cannot be resurrected, especially given the time between the deaths of both people and North-Gate's activation. So, what was _really_ going on?

Anthea chose not to bog down her mind with this too much as the elevator door opened, and she headed out to the car park. 

At Materhorne Academy, the staff was preparing for the influx of students to be arriving at their facility. The academy's headmaster, Jerome Fitzwater, oversaw most of these preparations. He had been transferred ahead of the primary strike force of North-Gate. Under the directive from the Ministry, he had begun to lay the foundations of educational and societal reform long before Jean-Pierre rose to the headmaster position at Kadic. The man was old, some would call him a curmudgeon, a term that would describe him on a good day. However, Jerome was not a tyrant, he simply believed in order and structure.

As he was in his office, which allowed a full view of all the associated dormitories and outlaying greenhouses, Jerome was going over the various student designations within the dorm with notes from other North-Gate cell leaders on their chosen for the academy.

Upon reaching Sylvia's selection list, he thought, "_Ah, the absolutist. What selections does she have?" _Feeling the dossier's weight, he smiled, "_Well, it's a lot lighter than it used to be, a good sign if ever I saw one. Let's see here." _

Looking at the files, he nodded, and after looking at specialized notes of two of the files, he affixed those files with the appropriate stamps. 

Once done, Jerome checked his watch; it was nearly lunch-time. 

"_Excellent." _He thought and got up to head out.

Back at Kadic, Aelita had received a letter of confirmation from Kadic that her forms of transfer had been processed, and she could transfer to the new extension program at Mercier School.Giving a sigh of relief, Aelita sat down on her bed. Her hard work on her academics had quite literally paid off.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. "Aelita, it's Jeremy."

Aelita replied, "Come in."

Jeremy entered and said, "Did you get your notification?"

She nodded with a smile as she showed him the paper, "It's all here. You were right not to worry. I'm just glad I kept afloat long enough academically to make the cut."

"Well, I figured it would be the best option." Jeremy said, "I mean even in the event North-Gate didn't wake up, you'd still have a full education under your belt to go into the world."

Aelita nodded, and she looked at him, "So, how do you really feel about bringing William back in?" 

"I personally am okay with it if you are. Provided the team keeps its foundation, I think only Ulrich and Yumi are the ones that would need suitable convincing."

"As that may be, their old reason for prejudice and partiality is gone. Even though Sylvia is an excellent tactician, I've watched and listened long enough to know that brute force is something she will only do if it is seen as an absolute necessity." 

"What makes you so certain? I mean was the station attack wasn't necessary—was it?"

Aelita nodded, "It was but not in the way most people would think. All she needed was to get her foot in the door. The ends justify the means, and for to her rationality, to blast the door open to get a foothold is still meeting the goal. However, I know, just call it a gut instinct, she won't attack unless she knows you'll attack her and thusly try to beat you to the punch."

Jeremy nodded, "You're quite sure of that, are you?" 

Aelita shrugged, "I hope that's the case. I've not been presented with evidence to the contrary. So, until I see a darker shift with my own eyes, I still want to defend her." 

Jeremy nodded, "It is awfully nice in here." He said, trying to change the topic, "Did Jacqui really manage this?" 

Aelita nodded, "She did. It's kind of shocking, really. I mean, I went to Jean-Pierre and asked about it, and he said very simply that Jacqui had bought the AC with her own money to be installed in our room so it wouldn't be hot as hell. Another interesting little thing is that the AC comes with a proviso. Wherever I go, the AC goes to ensure maximum comfort." 

Jeremy laughed and shook his head. Aelita asked, "What's so funny?"

"Boy, you really do catch a lot of breaks, don't you? Well, I'm not mad. If anything, Jim is going to be the one that is inconvenienced having to move that out when you transfer to Mercier, it's not something he'll like."

Aelita shook her head and replied, "Actually, you're wrong. He said when transfer came, he'd gladly uninstall the unit and set up to reinstall at Mercier. To hear him offer was a mixture of kindness and a kind of hidden relief." 

"Well, yeah. Jim's the maintenance man. One less AC on the fritz for him is fantastic and not a bother. Besides, if you'd opt to leave the thing, imagine the student bidding war for this room. It's a headache neither Jim nor Delmas would want."

Aelita chuckled, "Of course." She then gave a sigh, "I'll honestly miss this place. It is a good place, and sure we were in many countless aspects of danger. But even though it was not the easiest transition, it still feels like a part of me will be leaving home." 

Jeremy sat beside her, "I understand. Believe me, it took a lot for me to come to Kadic in the first place. But once here, and especially after turning on the supercomputer, I came to understand this fundamental thing. That one's home is where the heart is. I know it's the oldest saying the book, but it's true. This building is excellent, a testament to our times here together. 

The building, however, will crumble with time, and even though it hurts, and that's okay, we have to keep moving just so long as we remember the memories that make this place so special."

Aelita nodded as she lay her head against Jeremey's chest, "Life is too short for regrets. At any rate, we work with the hand we are dealt. As we always have."

Jeremy nodded, resting his head against the wall. Both sat comfortably, enjoying the soothing cold air. They knew only a small glimpse of what was to come. Their academic futures had been set. Now, began the genuine work, preparing a plan to either reason with North-Gate and its mistress. If they failed, they had to do their damndest to attempt to destroy both.

Meanwhile, Odd had received his letter in the mail of confirmation to Materhorne Academy. He was surprised as he thought to himself, "_So, it was she who recruited the Acne-Monster of Aras. Huh, well, you think you know a person. Okay, I have my placement, my dorm. Alright, time to let mom and dad know."  
_

As he dialed, Odd deeply contemplated the elements of all that was going to transpire. He was very much on his own with his decision, he was becoming more aware of that every passing day. But he knew why he was doing this. He knew why he_ needed_ to do this. But, was this the right way? Was it indeed too late to go back? No, he rationalized. He hadn't sold his soul just yet, but he wouldn't deny it was immensely tempting. Before pressing the final number to call his parents, he backed out the call and dialed the North-Gate Directory.

Half an hour later, Sylvia asked, "Are you sure? Are you absolutely, without a doubt, certain this is what you want to do? Because there is no going back after this." 

"Yes," Odd replied. 

"You know this is not going to be at all easy. It may seem so, but there are consequences later, you see?"

"I'm aware."

"Alright. You've made your choice, as much as it grieves me, you were honest." She was heard to sigh, "I can't protect you anymore, you know that? I really wanted to because I honestly thought you were different than this. Go—just go."

Odd ended the call, and a weight was lifted off his heart. He made his choice aware of the consequences. He didn't know what those would be, but he could guess. Taking the letter from Materhorne, Odd crumpled it and threw it in the trash. He then opened his phone once more and called his parents.

Half an hour later, Aelita and Jeremy were sitting in the cafeteria. The transition to Mercier would begin in two days. In many ways, these were their last moments within Kadic's walls. As they sat, Odd came beside them and sat down.

"Look, I know what you're going to say, but hear me out first," Odd said. 

Aelita looked at him as did Jeremy. Odd continued, "I know that you don't know where my allegiance stands with certain things. Suffice to say, I've weighed my options. You two have been there for me, and you, Aelita, more than most shockingly. That said, I did consider joining Sylvia and North-Gate. But I couldn't bring myself to do it." 

Aelita replied, "Why did you even consider it in the first place?"

"Because—I really felt ostracized in my own way. All of you have I guess what you can call another with full knowledge of what we do. What bothered me most was that I never got to have that opportunity. I really did want that with Brynja, but it wasn't to be. Also, considering she was only here for a visit, it would have been a waste of time anyway. I don't know. I do want to ask though, why didn't any of you like her? I know with Ulrich it was because he was horny, same with you, Einstein, but Aelita, why didn't _you _give her a chance?"

Aelita looked at him, "Do you want the direct answer?"

Odd shrugged, "I suppose. But don't be so harsh you're without tact."

Aelita had a thought, but she opted instead to say, "For the simple fact of your overall behavior pattern. Odd, your romances lasted two to three days, what made Brynja different? In all reality, I do consider things from your point of view. Thus, why I ask, what made her different. A greater question in my mind is Sam. Sure, you were kinda' torn up about her, but you had a good stretch of a long time with her. But why the fascination with Brynja? Given your rather adaptable memory and your ability to move on quickly, I'm surprised she stands out." 

"Because honestly, I had to ask myself a lot of hard questions. So, you ask me a question, I answer you with a question for _you._ Aelita, you didn't have a problem with Sam because she didn't affect you. You had a problem with Brynja because she threatened the "stability of the team." Sure, it sounds good on paper, but how much was indeed stability and just you all being assholes? Sorry, but call a spade a spade, you know?" 

Aelita looked at him and gave a light sigh, "Odd, how much of this thinking did you do after you talked to Sylvia?"

"Am I wrong?" Odd asked.

"No. But it's odd, don't you think? That your feelings are being emphasized in this way, isn't it? Particularly now, when you haven't given much thought to it in the past." 

"How do you know I haven't?" Odd countered.

"Because you have too big a mouth and usually translates to you being more open by default. Sorry, just how you are generally. Brynja is a perfect example of your lacking ability to keep a secret. So, I know it's not entirely you actively thinking this. Because you're more transparent than that. Sorry, you can't quite keep quiet on such things."

"You aren't as smart as you think you are, you know?" Odd replied, "You really aren't. You're not as controlled either."

"See? Right there. Now I know you know something I don't. But it won't take too much to crack you. For the simple fact, I can look at your face and read it as easily as a long-division problem. Sylvia's told you something, or you have found something out that we don't know. Either way, that's the only reason you gave that rebuttal. 

So, I'm asking you, do you really believe in your persecution by us? Or are you just sore because you didn't get as far with Brynja as you would have liked?"

Odd's eyes burned towards Aelita, and he said, "Why are you doing this? Why are you making me feel like shit? I'm as honest and fair as I can be with you right now and—" 

He stopped. Odd saw his outburst was not having at all the effect he had anticipated. If anything, Aelita's face was very calm, but to Odd, it registered as if in silent glee.

"Why are you smiling?" Odd asked, "You're laughing at me, why?!"

Aelita looked at him, and she spoke very calmly, "Odd, listen. You are being gaslighted. We never held you in ill will. Brynja had a hold on you, true. But you shrugged it off in time. Do you not find it a bit odd that you are just _now _voicing your concerns? Equally, I knew this result would happen. Because psychoanalysis does not take too much for me. I am a casual person able to do this. Imagine what my sister is capable of when it's her specialty. Think about it, Odd. Think. What are you truly angry about? Is it truly Brynja?" 

Odd looked at her, "You are not as innocent or as simple as you present yourself. Sure, you may have a teenager's body, but you don't have a teenager's mind. You said so to Jeremy yourself that his sheltering of you was moot from the beginning. When it comes down to you being as you claim, a 'casual person' we both know that's a lie, don't we?" 

"Yes and no."

"No, you're not riding the fence here, yes or no, answer the question."

"Alright. The answer is yes. I am not as I appear, but neither is my sister."

"You may slam her, but at least she's honest about who she is. At least she has a plan to rectify a lot of problems, and they're well-reasoned as to why they should happen." 

"Okay, Della-Robbia, you want to go here? Okay. Sure. I don't dismiss Sylvie has good points, even great points. But she's head knowledge, not heart knowledge. She might have heart knowledge but only in certain things. Her methods, if allowed to be fully embraced, will yield nothing but a horridly dark future. What's worse, her techniques to meet her end, are very violent, almost egregiously so.

I will throw you a bone; however, she's not gotten to the point where her methods are so dark that they null and void her intent. So, that's the saving grace, but her methods can quickly get there." 

"But have you ever put yourself in her shoes?" Odd asked, "Because to hear her logic, it's actually quite robust. The world is a very dark place. She's fighting against an actual, more ominous presence than what she is. This presence will try and kill her by any means necessary. So, question, if the enemy is willing all measures to kill you, does it not make it just to use their own weapons against them? Of course, it does. You know that.

So, sorry, Aelita, XANA, as bad as he was, is no match for the actual evil of influential people who can do as they want, be as foul and evil as they want with impunity. You know, and I know XANA's understanding of people is approximative. But people understanding people and what people will do if you allow them the liberty is different. What you call vicious and callous for Sylvia, I think of it as nothing but nuanced in response to what she knows she'll receive from evil people."

Aelita sighed, "Odd, not all the world is evil. It just is not. Look at what we did, are we monsters for fighting against a psychopathic program? No. That said, Sylvia is human. But she has such a dark, bleak view of humanity that she, I think, will go as far as she needs to, to do what she sees as necessary. She hates graft and corruption, I've heard her enough on that, believe me. But, unlike many people, what scares me, is she has a plan to deal with it. 

It's not wrong to want to fight to rid a system of evil, but you can't keep evil away forever. It's part of the human condition. What you will face and what Sylvia will face is this question: What will sustain her glorious revolution against the next one?" 

Odd put his head in his hands and sighed, "Nothing. The answer is nothing."

Aelita nodded, "I understand more than you think I do. Regarding your pain and regarding your want of completion. Brynja is simply a vehicle to galvanize your feelings against us. Do you honestly think I don't know how it impacted you when Sam left?"

"Okay, but let me ask you a question. Everyone's significant other is already on our team. If I were patient and took the time and had the team vet this person, could I not have what you all have. Someone who understands the risks but also someone who I can feel attached to?" 

Aelita was seen to consider this question, and after a moment, she replied, "If the team can agree, then yes. However, there is a condition. If this person cannot hold strong against what we'd likely have to face in due time, then that person's experiences, much as with Sissi, will be restored to their default, and that will be that." 

"But Aelita, you have to have a bit of grace. You know it takes time to come to grips with the concept." Odd replied.

"The concept is hard enough to come to grips with. The reality can be much worse. That is what I'd hopefully like to negate. However, if you would like, I can think of how we can negate a portion of that heft. If you find a person and the group has a consensus, we can plug her into the supercomputer so, when we activate the return to the past, her mind will not be wiped. 

But, in doing so, you accept that the weight of the drudge. The drudge of the routine, which is likely to surface again, is yours to help this person get through. We will help you, but you have to be sure equally when choosing this person of their capacity to handle mental fatigue."

"But there is one more thing, you don't have access to the return to the past function without Sylvia's say-so," Odd replied. 

Aelita asked, "Do we understand each other?"

"But Aelita," Odd said.

"Do we understand each other?" Aelita reiterated.

Odd nodded, "Yes, we understand each other."

"Good. So, what's your plan for the upcoming semester? Do you know where you're going?"

"I think I'll head to Mercier honestly. I –" 

"You're a bit late for that, Odd." Jeremy replied, "The deadline to apply was a week ago. If you have not gotten a letter of acceptance by now, you will not get in." 

"So, what now?" Odd asked.

Jeremy then thought a minute and replied, "Well, your mom. Wasn't she a student of Aulamerta?"

"She is, and I could get a discount based on that. Why?" 

"Well, Aulamerta is an excellent school, and the window is more like a conventional university. Even though you missed the traditional enrollment period, you could still attend after winter break. The only downside would be you are a semester longer in real make-up time for the combined high-school career. On the flip side, during your free spring semester, you could do more work for the team more readily. Additionally, Aulamerta, like Mercier, is not too far from the factory. 

My point being, you can acclimate yourself to the regular distance from the factory to Aulamerta over the semester and keep improving on your times. It doesn't matter _how _you get to the factory, just that you get there."

Odd nodded, Alright. That's what I'll do, I guess. I'll start jogging the distance, seeing what I can do, and then I will figure it out as I go along." 

Jeremy nodded, "Alright. You have your plan. What about the filler time of the autumn semester? I know your dad. Relaxed as he is, he won't exactly let you lounge." 

"Oh, no. If anything, I'll be working with one of my sisters during that time during the day. Which is not bad. I'll just make the most of my evenings mastering my endurance." 

"Is that usual for your family?" Aelita asked, "Sending your siblings to work for the other?"

"Well, yeah. See, this whole semester deal isn't anything exactly brand new to my parents. You have some siblings that occasionally will do just what this is. Take a semester off, but my parents don't like layabouts, so they send you to work suited to what you are good with. Or in one sister's case when she said she had no talents, my mom said, 'Well, I'm sending you to St. Petersburg with your sister so you can get a clue.' So, I'm not worried—not too concerned." 

Aelita nodded, "Alright. Well, I'd get started on your enrollment papers. You only have a few months to get all that done. Additionally, apply for any applicable grants. I mean, you're dedicated to film, Aulamerta has an excellent film program. Yes, it's tied to their musical work, but that's their true bread and butter anyway. Either way, you can get a few grants, and being the son an alumnus, you have a bit more lenience and quicker consideration by default." 

Odd nodded, "Alright. Can you give me a hand on what to look for?"

Aelita nodded, "I'll help you as best I can with some grants I can find for the school and your realm of study. Your grades aren't as bad as Ulrich's I have to give you credit so you won't have as tough a time. But you must submit a few essays here and there. So, even If you are working with one of your sisters, you'll be a bit busy."

Odd nodded, "I know it's a prestigious school, but why does it feel I'm truly entering a raw university? Because it seems a lot of work for a private school. Heck, even Kadic wasn't this strict for entry."

Jeremy was about to speak, but Aelita looked at him, "Jeremy, don't overexplain. Be simple and to the point." 

Jeremy sighed and looked at Odd, "Aulamerta is as finicky and detailed as it is because it has every right to be so. The academy is for several degrees of the economic elite and specialists in their fields of study. It's a conservatory of the arts by artistic people. Does that make sense?" 

Odd nodded, "So, the true artsy-fartsy." 

Jeremy chuckled, "For the sake of simplicity, yes. And thus, because of the ease of an open-ended structure for an approach to the semester and the usual economic demographic on campus, it's not uncommon for most applicants to already rake in as many relevant grants to make the financial burden easier." 

He looked at Aelita, "Simple enough?"

She smiled, "Eh, I'll take it." 

Odd nodded, "Alright. I'll get started on it. How's that for irony? The girl of the machine is teaching the human how to be more human."

"Not more human." Aelita replied, "It can be interpreted that way, sure. But it's making his dialogue more of the everyday person and not so much of overly verbose verbiage." Aelita chuckled slightly, looking at Jeremy. 

"Oh, har-har-har," Jeremy replied with a false grimace on his face.

Odd shook his head, rolling his eyes slightly, "Alright. Send me what you can find to help me out, Aelita. I'll be in touch. I must call my parents and let them know the plan." 

As Odd left, Jeremy looked at Aelita, "Overly verbose vocabulary?"

"Your tongue has other talents and is quite gifted. But this is one talent that will make you more amiable to everybody." Aelita said with a smile as she sipped her tea.

Jeremy's cheeks burned, "Aelita, seriously?" Jeremy said in a harsh clenched jaw whisper.

"Just stating the truth, Proxie." She replied with a wolfish smile and a quick wink.

"What happened to you? What happened to the girl I fell in love with?" Jeremy asked.

"After you deflowered her, she became a woman as per the code of most existing societies." 

Jeremy sighed and laid his head down on the table. Aelita gently touched his hand, "Don't worry." She said softly, "If it's any conciliation, you are more than gifted in cardio." 

Jeremy looked at Aelita, his face crimson with embarrassment, his glasses gently fogging from his face's heat. Jeremy gently shook his head. She looked at him, her eyes alive with passion, "Which is ironic, really, given your predisposition to sit at the terminal most of the time." 

Jeremy's head immediately felt into his arms. Aelita was heard by him to be lightly giggling, "Don't worry," She said amidst her laughter, "It's not like there's anyone to hear us anyway."

Jeremy was heard to mumble something, and Aelita asked, "What was that?" 

"Don't jinx it," Jeremy said as he looked at her. 

Anthea was back at her apartment. As she had predicted, the investigation demanded by the city of Bangkok had begun. As she sat in her chair and watch the civilian news unfold around the event, she saw the true extent of the damage. It was as was told to her. The sabotage of the water treatment plant and the water plant was revealed to be painstakingly precise.

"_As I thought." _Anthea said to herself, "_This girl wants the people to love her and hate us. This is the guts of the North-Gate function. The kid covered her tracks well. A lot of this can easily be blamed on the lack of an integral structure." _Anthea sighed, "_Effective, amazingly effective. So, what's the next step? Per its intended programming, there's going to be another shoe to drop. I hate to think that, but it's par the course per design." _

Anthea got up, and she looked at North-Gate's operational dossier. As she looked over the design, she looked at the program's operational protocol. As she read further in the notes, she made a few mental notes and picked up her phone. 

Internally, Anthea felt sick. She knew her bosses would hate to hear what she was going to say, but it needed to be said. If she did not perform to her utmost and inform them of what was more than likely to happen, it would fall on her for not taking the initiative. In many ways, Anthea had only herself to blame. Yes, she knew about North-Gate, but for some odd reason, the upper floors felt she knew far more. 

It wasn't that Anthea couldn't see their reasoning for thinking so. She had spent significant time with Barrow, but when he'd found out Sylvia had died, he went into a form of a creative tailspin. Almost as if his brain had stalled. So, despite how far he had made it, with North-Gate's programming and all aspects therein, Anthea knew that North-Gate was never as efficient it had recently shown itself to be.

In all reality, Anthea knew that this North-Gate program, was far above and beyond the manual she held in her hand. It was operating by a seemingly straightforward plan, operating under a protocol she was looking at. But what scared Anthea was the program had never been this far along even when Barrow was at the helm.

What she held in her hand, the manual written by Barrow, contained only plans of what he'd intended to make. He never actively made or integrated the components or AI commands before his shut down of North-Gate, let alone his death.

John Barrow retreated into obscurity after Waldo had disappeared. He'd shut down North-Gate after Sylvia had died. She saw him pull the plug herself. So, what was this program? Who had given it life? Who had access to the manual in her hand and gave North-Gate its full evident potential? Equally, who was the girl who commanded it?

Barrow had intended to align North-Gate to respond to Sylvia's biology alone. The same as Waldo had done for Aelita. It was how the men safeguarded their powerhouses should they fall into the wrong hands. But unfortunately, Sylvia never made it to that age of integration. So, who was this phantom; this person who should not even exist?

Anthea didn't know, and that's what frightened her. The vision of John Barrow flashed through her mind. The man they'd detained from Kadic was spot on in appearance, right down to his very DNA, and he even had a semblance of Barrow's memories, but she knew from the interrogation, it was not John Barrow. Not as she knew him in life.

But it did not explain his identical DNA. Anthea knew the man's blood had been taken from his desk when the forces had taken him out of Kadic. His hairs were also taken from his seat in the back of the car he had been transported in. Akiko had seen to that. The DNA was a perfect match. The body she had exhumed was that of John Barrow, DNA also confirmed this. His grave had not been disturbed since it had been filled.

Anthea activated her cell phone, and with hesitation and a pounding heart, she pressed the call button.


	59. Chapter 59

_**AN: I am incredibly pleased to bring you this chapter. This chapter took a fair bit of time because I had to get out of my own way. I also must thank God for his help with various inspirational seeds as I worked portion by portion.**_

_**Additionally, I've looked at my traffic, and I want to say I am so grateful my story is being read by so many. I thank all of you who you continue to come back for new chapters and especially for all of you looking at the story who are newcomers. Thank you all for your kindness, viewership, and reviews.  
**_

_**I will hopefully see you all next chapter.**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

_**Disclaimer: The song used is named, A Perfect Life from the Broadway musical Dracula. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights and benefits belong to the official holders therein.  
**_

Chapter 59

_"Are you sure? Are you sure that this is the case?" _

"Yes, sir." Anthea replied, "I've told you for several years now, but the club wouldn't exactly listen."

"_Ah, fuck. So, what are we chasing then? What is this thing we're fighting if your daughter is actively literally DOA?" _

"With respect, it's not DOA, DOA implies you had her as a live asset, and in transit, she showed up—"

"_Enough!" _the voice rang out, and after an audible sigh of exasperation said, "_Look, what are we actively dealing with? You say that North-Gate is implementing these operations, but that these operations are only theoretical and never actively implemented, correct?"  
_

"Yes, Sir. However, to answer your question, I don't know the answer. Sir, John shut down the program after his daughter died, he tried to press on, but he just couldn't. So, the program was shut down. I was witness to it. The program should be in all reality, inactive. John designed it that way; there was no standby function; it was either on or off."

"_I see. And the location of the raw data processor?" _

"It should still be in Austria. I have the address still. I've kept an eye on the property, and no one's bought it. So, yeah. In theory, it should all still be there in its natural component. My question though, is if you knew from my reports that certain things were off the ground, why didn't you go in and get it when Barrow chose to ghost us?"

"_Based on your own notes and observations at the time, our investors and our business partners didn't see North-Gate as any viable thing to grab hold of. Even now, with your testimony, a lot of these things are hypothetical in the form you saw North-Gate. _

_Even if we did send in a team to salvage the project, at best is we'd have a rudimentary blueprint of initial phase innards. As good as that is in theory, if what you say is true, we're dealing with a windup toy compared to an industrial-grade rendition. So, in all reality, we are back at square one. If what you said is accurate, we can't even count on the manual you have in your possession."  
_

"Forgive me, Sir, but that's not exactly true. Based on eyewitness testimony from Dr. Gupta, we've seen the countermeasure fully deployed. However, this countermeasure isn't in line with the original calibration and layout. Equally, when we saw the implementation of various protocols and shell companies aligned with North-Gate, they were in accordance with the corresponding protocol, almost line for line in appearance and passive protocols.

So, despite this being a genuinely advanced version, it still largely adheres to the original blueprint—at least for now."

_"And what if the program deviates from its intent? If what you say is true, that we are dealing with a phantom, but equally we are dealing with a fully active program designed by said phantom, what is the next plan if the program deviates?"  
_

"I honestly don't know, Sir. With respect, that's what's going to make our lives very interesting. We don't know where the cell is. Our—more specifically, my own action on where I believed a primary access point of the cell to be, I think, may have spooked the program into going to ground. We don't know where it is. And even when I was ambushed by the phantom, where the Lyoko access point formerly rested, I noticed many of the supercomputer's chief components had been entirely removed.

Sir, the program, if the intended designs are any indication, is very self-aware and aware of its surroundings. It moves place to place, pending the heat that rises from its actions. Equally, I am inclined to believe that we're not dealing with the fully functioning program at the zenith of its potential ability despite what we have seen."

"_What makes you say that?"_

"Because we'd be dead if that were the case. See, while XANA was designed as the military arm, North-Gate has what is termed, Tier Five Protocols. If this tier is activated, North-Gate would be given access to a massive military mindset of its own regarding capability and ability. If XANA had been compromised, North-Gate would take over the military role until XANA was restored.

Additionally, and perhaps more troubling, the program's design under Tier Five has the default function to adapt to situations given enough exposure and develop resistances oriented chiefly on exposure to combative constants. Sir, why is it that it used Gregory in Bangkok? Do you know why?"

"_Just tell me. Even mentioning that mess gives me a headache."_

"Sir, it used Gregory because it's using our methods against us. It literally sees its act as nothing wrong because we did it first. Sir, several years ago, we perfected the civilian spy network of our cousins. But what scares me is this program, knows that. But what's more concerning is, it must have been watching in some way because the simple fact is, we used the same destructive method as it used on us when we took out essential opposition that inhibited us from our test phase in the Gulf.

Don't you see? It doesn't see its actions as immoral or wrong because, in the program's passive military protocol, its measures of activity are equal to what its enemy puts out. Intentions, to this program, don't matter so much; what matters is the actions you _do_ instead of what you say or intend. It's the program saying to us, 'You showed your willingness to do this. Now your own weapon is turned on you. Because you didn't cry when you used it on others, I do not weep for you.' It's using our methods to play on what it perceives to be a level playing field."

There was silence for a time, then the response came, "_You've said to us multiple times that North-Gate is designed as the peacekeeper. Peacekeeping, by default, is its design. So, per the manual, what happens to the civilian sector if North-Gate has Tier Five activated?" _

Anthea flipped through the manual, and upon finding Tier Five, she said, "In a synopsis of what I'm seeing, the program will go into a proper police-state mindset. It will use its peacekeeper rationale to keep the people from getting too anxious or rowdy, but also it will distribute propaganda and the like on a passive element. The propaganda will contain for its details, the _facts of enemy conduct. _

To be specific, per the outline, 'using the raw actions of its enemies in contrast to its statements of professed intentions to its people.' As a result, it will galvanize its civilian populace in addition to its military forces through mental conditioning to fight to their fullest extent."

_"Alright. I've heard what I need to. Sadly, right now, you say another shoe is going to drop. When it does, we will do a cross-correlation of all activity and see if we find a focal point. Once we do, all mandatory measures for our preservation will be taken. I'd hate to use one of my last national favors, but I see little else for an option in the face of what you present. "  
_

Anthea hesitated and then said, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, you may be forced to call in that favor sooner than you think. The sad truth is we don't know the program is genuinely capable because it has a human X-factor for its commander."

"_That's what I'm afraid of. The problem is we don't know just how large North-Gate's manpower is. But to be this far along, it means its groundwork to ensure successful operations had to be laid down a long time ago. What about the weather anomalies your scientific teams discovered a little while ago?" _

"I thought about that. However, in accordance with our readings, there has been nothing of note since the use of the countermeasure. As it stands, I'm truly hesitant to utilize one of our supercomputers in the network to even try and flush it out. With respect, you know as well as I, those machines are extremely precious to produce."

"_Yes. Additionally, the operators of North Gate seem to have caught onto the energy signatures of our own supercomputers. If any are switched on, I think we could easily see another layer of ash before long. Speaking of which, how in the nation did they get an orbital cannon in the sky?  
_

_I've talked to our connections worldwide, and even our contacts in high regard saw nothing of this display of power. No satellite anywhere saw anything, and what is worse is the countermeasure is so apparently precise and concentrated, it can limit its detection by traditional and more advanced instruments. What does it say in the dossier about the countermeasure in particular?"  
_

"As far as the method of the countermeasure is concerned, sir, that isone of the more significant problems. It doesn't say how the effect is generated, only stated in three words, 'Inescapable Divine Lightning.' We assumed it was an orbital relay only because of the eyewitness account of Dr. Gupta. Apart from that, we can't say with certainty it is an orbital relay.

I can see why you and many others would reason that, however. Especially after our contacts in China and Russia saw their satellites have a momentary disruption at the attack time. But sadly, sir, that doesn't mean North-Gate conclusively has an orbital relay."

_"Alright. Well, at any rate, Gupta will be arriving on the 11:00 A.M. flight. You will pick her up and then head to the safe house outside Paris on the east side. I don't want to take any more chances right now; believe me, we have more than enough with this whole Bangkok fiasco. Get some dinner and some sleep. You're especially going to need both if Aberdeen hears about this before his milky tea in the evening."  
_

"Of course, sir. I'll be there promptly at 11:00." Anthea closed her mobile, and she looked outside. As she saw the last glimpses of the setting sun, she thought, _"Just how did you do this? Who are you?" _She looked at the North-Gate manuscript, "_And how did you get access to this?"_

Back at North-Gate's facility, Terry was with Sylvia, the latter training with her favorite Terry observed, he saw Sylvia's skills with her weapons, particularly her sword, to be massively improving over the last few days. Rather than sitting and reading, as was her usual habit, Sylvia had dedicated herself to perfecting the force of her blade's strikes, her speed, and her fluidity of movement. Above all, she was demonstrating her improved patience, managing her stamina, and knowing its maximum exertion limit and her recovery time.

As Terry observed, he said, "You realize, in the actual theater, it's not quite as relaxed and nuanced as your training sessions have been?"

"Of course." Sylvia replied as she practiced her lighter swings, "I anticipate that when we actually launch in the field of battle, that there will be no mercy shown. Equally, despite how no mercy is shown to us, we must be the merciful ones.

Mercy doesn't mean we are weak, but that we have a different motive behind our mindset than the conquerors of old. We are not as the savages of the bush that cut off the breasts as a sign of dominance, nor are we the animals who circumcise their women out of an inane and primitive double-standard, we are of a higher degree of a standard than they."

Terry nodded, "Okay, and how would you explain our enemies' reprocessing to the world?"

"Simple. Under the element of restorative justice. You have a brute beast who is hard-wired to murder and mutilate? Good. We will take him and make him our own, operating under our standard.

If he chooses not to listen, only then shall he be expediently returned to earth. After all, if you will die, I'd prefer you still be of some use. If a man is destined to go back to the earth, as in the irredeemable criminal in rare cases, he will always be of use.

"Ah, which, of course, gave rise to the Evergreen protocol."

"Well, I had some encouragement from our—associates. I mean, do you remember if how we didn't want to part with our energy reserves, we'd do something of an equal exchange to preserve diplomatic ties?"

"You mean you learned from—"

"Exactly, Terry, exactly."

"Huh, well, I can't blame you. I get the point, I assure you. But that was entirely for a different purpose."

"In terms of morality, yes, not practicality, however. That is the caveat to allow me to do as I need to do. Morality being the preferred order of the day."

"Okay, then what about the body you previously inhabited, how do you defend that?"

"As I said to you before, it was a test phase." Sylvia sheathed her sword and went to the nearby weapon wall and took a black staff topped with a brilliant cyan and lavender crystal, "It allowed me to successfully calibrate and analyze all manner of things. Additionally, I realized that a non-native force to the corporeal envelope will be in time rejected. It was not so much a matter of if as I thought it was, merely a matter of when.

From the moment of conception, each body is made by default to be naturally resistant to external forces regardless of their medium of conveyance. However, I theorized that removing the housing unit of the soul would negate this drawback. It was not at all the best move. It was a disaster as we saw. So, I've abandoned my original intentions for the project and restored those efforts to the Nietzsche doctrine's default."

She looked back at Terry, "Calibrate a Mk. V Tank with deflective armor, enhanced high-explosive resistance, and enhanced targeting relay into the simulation. Range 400 meters."

Terry applied the request, and looking at Sylvia poised with her staff, he added an additional detail. He activated the simulation, and as soon as the tank appeared, it fired a fully charged shot. But to Terry's amazement, the tank upon the impact of its blast upon Sylvia became afflicted as its power relay was beginning to be drained.

Sylvia had taken damage in terms of the simulation, but what was worse, she saw the opening. Moving to the side, she got behind cover and fired full force with the staff draining power from the tank's energy core into her staff's crystal. Using the energy, Sylvia mended her damage restoring her hit points. She then pointed at the tank, snapped her fingers, and the tank exploded.

She looked at Terry, "Trying to throw me a curveball? Really? This is meant to be taken seriously, not for you to be a vindictive ass."

Terry chuckled, "I was just trying to teach you a lesson."

"And what lesson is that, Terry? That the world will throw you a few curveballs? War isn't as easy as one, two, three? Or is it a lesson to not trust even the one closest to me?"

Terry shrugged, "One and two. I just felt you needed a reminder."

"Well, clearly, I don't need too much of one. I trained and developed with the guardian countermeasure to ensure my survival in just such a scenario."

Terry nodded and was about to press a button when Sylvia replied, "Don't try it. You were locked out when you violated my request under the terms of the clandestine augmentation of a passive directive. You will have your privileges restored to you once you have proven your competence out of submission and not vindictiveness. As of this moment, you are reassigned to Materhorne as a plant and observation unit. Chicago will be taken over by another until you have proven your willful competent compliance. Then and only then you will be transferred to your desired station.

Now I highly suggest you leave. You'll need a week or so to build good faith with the faculty given your position, groundskeeper."

Terry nodded, "Very well." and he departed. He waited until he was genuinely above the second level as he knew the passive audio surveillance range. He then tapped into his implant, "Come in, Londie, Come in."

"Perraudin, here. What is it, Ter?"

"Whatever you have planned, your brain monkeys over there at the lab, including the rest of the crew. Don't piss the boss off. She's kind of miffed. I'd say give her space and do what she tells you for a bit."

"_Did something happen?"_

"Something more than what I'm seeing. I know that much. Londie, you have access to our accounts. I want you to check the progress for me regarding the Della-Robbia boy."

"_Why can't you check it?" _

"I've been demoted to a groundskeeper at the Horn, my little tapioca. That's why."

"_What did you do?" _Yolanda asked, genuinely surprised.

"That's just it. I gave Sylvie a spiced training session. You know how I occasionally do?"

_"Yeah, that's never been grounds for demotion before. Sylvia should know that about you, that it's just what you do."  
_

"Love, she may know that, but I really don't think she was in the mood for it. Also, to merit my demotion, while not an extreme measure exactly, something must have cheesed her off to make an example out of me. I think she's projecting. That's why I want you to check Della-Robbia. He was her last contact before the session, and she was her normal stoic self before then."

"_Alright. Ter, I'll give it a once-over. You owe me for this, buddy." _

"I'll take owing you a favor because this will help me to determine if I have to take a precautionary measure or two."

"_Precautionary measure? Terry, she's not gonna' axe you. That would breed resentment among her men. She's not gonna' do that." _

"This coming from the same person she uses to make her high-profile targets seem as if they died in accidents. Yes, Yolanda, I'm suddenly brimming with optimism."

"_There are considerations Sylvia makes these days is what I'm saying. She won't just put you on ice because she has a bad day. She's shockingly not as hot-headed as she used to be. But yeah, I'll look into the transcript and see what went down. I'll call you in an hour. I'm in the middle of the vetting process for a recruit." _

"Gotcha'." Terry replied, "I'm on my way to Materhorne. If things are as I anticipate, the paperwork will have been sent already, and I'll have to be officially familiarized with the grounds. You know, the usual humdrum of demotion."

"_Yeah. It's not uncommon. It's your first time happening to you. Believe me, we've all had to lace our boots in the mire with the rats. It's almost a bizarre rite of passage in a way. But don't worry, you'll get used to it." _

"Why are you so calm about this?" Terry said, "You almost sound, gleeful."

"_Not gleeful. I'm just glad to see that not even you are exempt from demotion. It makes me think our commander has a bit more nuanced than I gave her credit for, that's all. In many ways, a lot of us were putting money on when you'd be demoted, not even the aspect of if it would happen."  
_

"Are you serious?"

"_Oh yeah. Even Maria was in on that bet. She was demoted at once, I've been demoted twice, Emilio, Enrique, even old Frankie, he's been demoted. So, it's just your time at the proverbial bat. But don't worry. Usually, her anger fades after a bit, but even the context of a bit is prone to a case-by-case basis.  
_

_But if what I think you think is the case with Odd, you may be out from under your demotion quicker than you realize. Kinda' how the woman works. Someone pisses her off, she puts it on someone else for a similar offense and sends them to do a monotonous job. It's par for the course, Ter. Don't take it too personally."  
_

"Alright. Well, I'll be done when I'm done, I guess. I'll see you around." Terry disconnected his implant.

Meanwhile, at Kadic, Jeremy was lying next to Aelita, both relaxed but equally immensely relieved.

"I told you," Aelita said as she lay her head gently against his chest, "Your tongue is very talented, and your cardio I can say improved. Two minutes over last time."

Jeremy slightly chuckled, "It doesn't' matter. With all that's been going on, that was needed I'd say for both of us to reset."

Aelita sighed, "The best part is now that we have the floor mostly to ourselves, and we know Jim's patterns, we can make the most of our final days of privacy. Oh, question, how's your mom doing these days? I mean, you haven't exactly been home as of late, and I thought your mother was rather stringent on her conditions."

"I got a call last night. She just called to check-in, you know how mothers can be." He then remembered himself, "I'm sorry, I forgot."

Aelita chuckled a bit, "Don't worry. The being that is my mother, well, I'm not exactly sure she counts in the traditional mother aspect apart from the strictly biological sense."

"That's fair. So, what do you want to do now?" Jeremy asked as he rested his head on the pillow, "I will say this, Jacqui was really thoughtful giving you an AC at least for now we don't have to subject ourselves to the sauna experience of love-making anymore."

"Maybe not. But the sauna experience did have one particular perk that I liked."

"Which was?"

"The Kamikaze Cleaning Segment."

Jeremy looked at her, "You can't tell me you actually liked that."

"I believe I just did. But if you felt your ears deceived you, I can repeat it."

"What did you like about it? _How_ could you like it more specifically?"

"Well," Aelita said, "let's look at the factors. We usually have our fun at night, alternating rooms every now and again to throw Jim off the scent. However, to me, that is half the fun of the deep clean. Why? Because B.O. is sadly kinda' standard for a high-school. However, nocturnal smells of various other varieties are more noticeable, especially to an older nose. After all, there's a reason there's the expression, the smell of sex. Add to the fact on a hot night, well, smells carry. Especially when the door base, as per most of the rooms, isn't the best when it comes to sealing. "

"Wait." Jeremy said as he thought about this, "Every night was hotter than usual. You—you did it on purpose!"

"Hey, I had to make it entertaining somehow. This was one of the better ways that didn't hurt anyone apart from the frustration when Jim nearly caught us."

"Oh, is that so?" Jeremy said with a skeptical look.

"Well, admittedly its' better than the alternative; The gang knocking at your door at the room smelling of marinated sperm and the like. You're just lucky I didn't pull out my ultimate weapon."

Jeremy looked uneasy and asked hesitatingly, "Your what?"

"Oh, don't worry. There's so little going on here, it'd hardly be worth it. But at Mercier, once I get a couple patterns down, let the fun begin."

Jeremy sighed, "At least I'm never bored." He felt relaxed in the memory foam bed, "But her bed's an improvement. That's for sure. Makes me a touch sad. If she had this much ability to get stuff done, imagine what she could have done for us in the future?"

Aelita lightly slapped his shoulder, "Come on, seriously?"

"I'm just making an observation. Think about it. This was a girl who literally got what she wanted either because she bought it or was pissed someone else had something and didn't appreciate it. At least, that's my takeaway from it. So, if she was this way by default, jerk as she could be, imagine how she could have helped us against your Imperial Counterpart."

"Imperial Counterpart?" Aelita asked.

"Come on, Aelita. You can't really deny Sylvia doesn't have elements of Darth Vader to a point."

Aelita shook her head with a smile, "I have to hear this. Go ahead."

"See if this sounds familiar. 'Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought _peace, freedom, justice, and security _to my new empire."

Aelita's eyes went wide, "Uh—" she was amazed.

Jeremy looked over at her, "See? Except for—" He stopped as Aelita sat straight up in bed. Jeremy was slightly apprehensive. Putting on his glasses, he got up, "I was only making a—"

"No." Aelita's voice shook, "No. I know you were, but—you're right—that whole speech. Jeremy, I never saw the movie you're talking about. Let me ask, is this Vader, a dictator?"

Jeremy replied, "More or less. He's the right hand of one, and he is in the canon a Sith. Absolutist believers but reading in larger canon and expanded lore, it is not always the case. But they gain power through the veneer at least of security and order. With Vader's boss Palpatine being the primary example that comes to mind. But Aelita, it was a joke."

Aelita sighed, "Be that as it may, you've given me some things to think about." She folded her clothes she put on her robe and headed out to shower off.

"Aelita, wait, please." Jeremy pleaded, "Look, I don't know what I said or what kicked off but—"

"Jeremy," Aelita said, her voice for the first time scared, "You may not know what you said. But frighteningly, I think you're closer to the truth than you'll ever know. Look, I'm going to shower and then I'm going to head to the lab."

Jeremy firmly put his hand on her shoulder, "No," he said with an authority that shocked even him. He took a breath and said softly, "No. You go there, and you demand answers to what you think will happen, we may never see you again. Odd let slip that Sylvia needs you. You go alone, you might not come back. Shower, rest. But if anything, do not go there. Please, do not."

Aelita gently nodded and said softly, "Alright." she headed out towards the shower. Jeremy took note of this and headed towards his own room to get his robe and then shower. As Jeremy gently opened the door to retrieve his robe and soap, he didn't know that the gently snoring Alfonse was awake, having been so for an hour.

Aelita was silent as she let the hot water of the quiet shower run over her. She gave out a sigh, breathed deeply, and exhaled slowly. A thousand thoughts raced through Aelita's mind; Odd, his whole debacle compounded by the fact she was skeptical of him, didn't help matters. The changing of locations was yet another thing. It was to be expected, but it wasn't to be easy, Aelita knew that. She simply wanted to shower, sleep, and restore herself.

Aelita looked at the lavender-jasmine soap bottle she'd taken from Jacqui's trunk after her death had been announced. Aelita could hardly stomach the girl at first, but for some reason, she wanted Jacqui's voice back, her company for some bizarre reason. Why though? She did nothing but make her feel miserable. Why was she so desperate for this one person's presence?

Aelita shook her head, and after a sharp exhale, she squeezed out the clear lavender liquid, placed it on a small sponge, and began to scrub.

The scent was invigorating. It was so wondrously sweet and soothing. Aelita's mind felt as if it were being massaged. As if all her stress, anger, and fear, was with each breath of the soothing soap, undergoing a fast but gentle decompression.

"_Oh,_" Aelita moaned with pleasure, "_It feels so good, I've never felt this way before." _Taking a deep breath, she then sighed as she felt her body relax as if letting loose an invisible mist of toxins.

Aelita turned off the water and sealed the bottle. Taking a courtesy towel, she dried off and dropped it into the chute for the laundry room.

"Wow, do I feel good," Aelita exclaimed as she came out and got into her robe.

She headed out and came back to her dorm. Seeing Jeremy was gone, she stripped the bed of the sheets and put a fresh set down. This was nothing new for her as she simply chalked it down to a simple aspect of cleanliness and routine. Aelita folded the prior sheets nice and tight and bound them with white twine to remind herself to wash them in the morning. Once she'd put the fresh sheets on the bed, Aelita lay on the bed, gently closing her eyes, and to her amazement, she fell quickly to sleep.

In Odd's room, he had finished his conversation with his parents. All had been established for his transfer to Aulamerta. Understandably, his parents, lenient as they could be, insisted he had a focus of study if he was to go to such a prestigious school. After all, it was primarily their money that would be financing this venture, and so, as parents do, they wanted a viable assurance of return on their investment.

Odd decided to go with his gut and made filming and film study his course of study. It was the most natural course of action as he had the most experience in that field. In many ways, this also worked out quite well. While Odd had made his choice, Aulamerta's film school emphasis was in its bi-yearly hiatus. The courses would restart in January, as was custom. In this regard, Odd couldn't believe his luck.

After checking into the familial job aspect he knew was tradition, he had been told by his mother he was to work with his sister Adele while she was critiquing a new battery of upcoming musicals on the world stage in Switzerland. Odd, upon hearing this, was somewhat relieved. Adele was the oldest of his sisters and didn't treat him with disdain in the traditional sense, as did his younger sisters. Adele, was, to say it gently, full of herself; given her success as a critic, it came with the territory he supposed.

There were two massive chinks in the armor, however. Going to Switzerland meant Odd wouldn't be of use against North-Gate if Sylvia decided to make a bad day for everyone. Given his decision, he wasn't discounting a small revenge issue coming up later on. However, Odd felt he knew Sylvia enough to know she wouldn't harm anyone but him since he was the one who left. To punish an underserving party was not in Sylvia's way, which Odd counted as an element of mercy. Little did he know, just how long it took to attain the mercy principle he took for granted.

Additionally, Odd didn't have the benefit of acclimating to the endurance necessary to get from Aulamerta to the factory as he'd anticipated. But, Odd, to his credit, had considered this. He knew his mom liked to talk about Aulamerta more than most self-aggrandizing teachers. Knowing this quirk, Odd decided to speak with his mother a bit more regularly to form a picture in his mind. It would seem strange if he suddenly talked to her too much. His mother was placid, sure, but she wasn't an idiot, not by a long shot.

Equally, Odd presently wasn't exactly far from the campus. He could go around and get a cursory glance at his situation. Even better, before going to Switzerland, he could ask to tour the campus. He knew his parents wouldn't object to this, but it would raise a flag or two if he showed too much zeal.

"_Why am I overthinking this?"_ Odd asked himself, "_I mean, boil my brains, it's only a campus. Just act the same way I always have._ Odd paused, then he thought,_ "Wow—could she have had that great an effect? Did I really let her get in that far?!" _

At any rate, it was all set. Everything that Odd needed to take care of had been taken care of. With Aelita helping with aspects of grants and his mother's academic exemplary history, he had secured the ability already to have more than half of traditional tuition paid for. This condition extended to his academic performance, and so for the first time, Odd had to take his studies with a degree of sincerity.

His mentality of life being a more significant aspect of a game held true. Equally, he remembered his father's tried and true mantra, "Academia in the preliminary stages are easy." He always said, "College is for the foundations of social networking, no more, no less. Those networks will help you get your foot in the door." So, knowing he had to put in significant efforts until going into higher education, Odd decided to do the best he could do, no more no less. Equally, he had time to formulate a few things.

Odd sighed as he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. It was warm, but it wasn't unbearably hot. Odd stretched and rolled back his shoulders, feeling the crack in his spine, ushering quick relief. Sighing contentedly feeling the effect, Odd soon drifted off to sleep.

He dreamed he was in a beautiful courtyard, even by Odd's standards. The day was lovely and sunshiny, and as he looked around, he saw a young woman sitting on a bench under a nearby tree. Odd approached, and he saw as he neared, the young woman was Magali.

He called out to her, but she wasn't listening. He tried again, this time right next to her.

Still, she was static as she read the book in her hand. The book was of an older binding but had no title.

"Hey, Magali," Odd touched her shoulder, and suddenly he felt a surge of buzzing almost numbing cold air. Magali put the book down, stood up, appearing as if she was unable to see him right next to her, and she walked away. Odd walked behind her a little way, and as he walked behind her, he heard her sing in almost a melancholic tune.

_A perfect life, the kind you dream of_

_Waits for me_

_And yet, and yet_

_I can't shut out this sense of dread_

_This haunting doubt_

_I found a man who truly loves me_

_I love him_

_And yet, and yet_

_On this bright day a shadow falls_

_Across my way_

_I should hate myself for these irrational ideas.  
_

_I should pull myself together and cast away my fears.  
_

_Part of me is saying I'm so near where I belong.  
_

_Part of me is saying something's wrong.  
_

_A perfect life, the kind you dream of_

_Waits for me_

_And yet, and yet_

_I fear I might be sailing into_

_Endless night_

_Part of me is saying I'm so near where I belong.  
_

_Part of me is saying something's wrong.  
_

_A perfect life, the kind you dream of_

_Waits for me_

_And yet, and yet_

_I fear I might be sailing into_

_Endless night_

_We'll soon have a perfect life.  
_

_And yet, and yet and yet.  
_

Odd, needless to say, was perplexed. Suddenly he felt a sudden rush of cold wind so much so that he woke up. The AC had kicked into high-gear shockingly, and it was pushing out cold air, unlike anything he or the students had seen before.

Meanwhile, Sylvia received a communique, "_Commander, we have tested the nanites' regenerative ability. They work in direct accordance with their desired layout."  
_

Sylvia replied, "Excellent. I figured it best we test them out on the civilian sector first before applying them to the harder task of militarized maintenance. You've done well, love. Report back to your sector, and we'll proceed with your evaluation for promotion in the morning."


	60. Chapter 60

_**AN: This chapter came after a definite prayer of just where I wanted to go regarding pacing and perspective. Suffice to say, I'm delighted how it turned out. I thank God for His help in this regard, and I am very grateful my story is reaching so many people so quickly.  
**_

_**I am also immensely grateful for all of you who have read, reviewed, and continue to do so. You are my reason for writing because I know that many of you come back because you enjoy the story, and that, to me, is the greatest thing I could ever have as a writer. Thank you all for your kindness and support. See you next chapter.  
**_

_**Love,**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 60

Five o'clock had just sounded from the Kadic tower. Aelita had awoken gradually, and now, she was fully awake. Getting up, she looked around her room, alone with her thoughts in the cold silence. She had slept well, a dreamless sleep that was in its own way, welcoming. Sighing, Aelita got up and got dressed. She opened her door; it was utterly silent save for Sissi's A.C. unit's gentle hum next door.

Aelita put on her shoes and gently headed down the hall towards the west stairwell. Opening the door gently, she listened for any footsteps in the vicinity. Hearing nothing, she closed the door and headed down the stairs, step by step gently to make minimal noise. Coming down to the main entry corridor, she peaked out from behind the door. No one was present, and so Aelita closed the door gently and headed out towards the park towards the sewers.

Much was on Aelita's mind, and after Jeremy's explanation last night, even though a joke, she was troubled by it on some level. Aelita had reached the sewer, upon opening the lid, she descended. She came to the boiler room in time, but she found it was locked by an electronic lock.

Aelita looked up and seeing a small camera with a view of the door, she said, "Uh, hello. May I speak with Sylvia?"

There was silence for a moment, and then there was a gentle beep, and the door opened. Aelita stepped into what was once a narrow corridor and found the hall had been just slightly widened. Aelita, finding this augmentation just a touch strange, she proceeded to the computer room.

Upon entering the room, Aelita saw a sight that amazed her; the place had been completely revamped. All manner of holographic displays lined the walls on all sides. The primary node that acted as Lyoko's projection had been revamped and divided into color-coded sectors with specialized symbols above each sector.

"_Wow," _Aelita thought, "_Someone's been busy." _

She called out, "Sylvia, are you there?"

The display of Lyoko disappeared, and a hologram appeared before her. It was of a young woman, but despite having the physiological appearance of a woman, Aelita believed this was likely an automated directory.

Deciding to test this out, Aelita asked, "What is the directive of North-Gate?"

The hologram gave no response, But Aelita noted it looked at her as if slightly bemused or annoyed; it was hard to tell.

She tried another question, "Who is Sylvia-Anna Penrose?"

The hologram was heard to sigh, and then it spoke, "Are you quite finished?"

Aelita was surprised, "Sylvia? Is that you?"

"You called me. Logic dictates that it would be me you speak to."

"You look—different." Aelita said, "Not as you usually appear."

"Eh, it's the perks of exploiting the subconscious through a passive dream-implantation protocol. How may I help you?"

"I have a question. I actually need you, to be honest with me."

"Mm, I'm concerned now." The hologram replied.

"Why?"

"You just said you 'actually need me, to be honest.' This implies one of two things: A: You never trusted anything I've said to you prior. Or B: Maybe you did on some level, but equally, someone or something comes along that gives you room to be skeptical. So, which is it?"

Aelita knew she had to be cautious, but equally, she wondered if the truth would be safer than a lie. She then replied, "I would feel just a bit better if I could have a solid grasp on the vision for what you want for the future to be. That's all I'm asking for."

"I understand. It's a viable request. Okay, sit in the chair. It'll be simpler and more engaging to see it for yourself than listen to what I'm sure you see as a diatribe."

Aelita shook her head, "I'm not going to do that. Explain it to me simply and be to the point. I'm sorry, I don't trust you not to lock me away in the digital world."

"Is it that you don't trust me, or do you see this invitation as too great a leap of faith?"

"How do you think I can trust you? On what grounds do you have for reasoning for which I should trust you?"

"A variety of reasons. But the chief one being, if I genuinely wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already."

"Oh, but you did. You killed Jeremy before my eyes. That is a greater hurt than you can ever comprehend. All for what? For the sake of testing my resolve. Oh, Sylvia, you don't know how far I'll go to preserve the ones I love. So, despite you saying your actions aren't harmful, I know you don't believe those words.

So, unless you can sufficiently explain your vision, I will not accept any overtures of friendliness from you, nor will I accept you as being in the right until I hear your reasoning. As you are, you know what I seek. To see if your actions line up with your intentions. Are they valid per intent, or do you, as most people, go too far?"

The hologram was seen to smile, a most unnerving smile, Aelita thought.

"Oh, isn't that sweet? Sadly, you are in no position to be my judge, little lamb. But that's for another time. Actually—it's been already pointed out, you just don't want to listen."

"Oh, is that where you're going with this? That I chose Jeremy over the lives of hundreds that I should by that logic have no ground to stand on? That my motivations are not as just as selfish as yours? Is that what you seriously think?!"

"Yes. You could have restored your world to what it was had you let your beloved perish, but you chose to save a man with no social graces and was only your equal intellectually. So, don't cry about your choice when called to account for it. I am just saying what the whole of your family has been thinking. Sorry."

"You _forced_ me to choose! You _forced_ me to keep you around because you exploited my vulnerability, _you_ exploited the fact you knew it was the man I love! So, _you_ are to blame for this, not me."

"Oh, how fitting for you to justify yourself. The funny thing is, for all your accusations, I didn't force you to do anything. Despite your anger at me, I did not force you. I gave you the choices for you to choose from, but I didn't _make a choice_."

"Bullshit! You gave me a time-limit to act to choose between Jeremy or the rest of the world. You knew my state, you knew the effect it would have!"

"Funny how that works, isn't it?" Sylvia asked, her arms crossed and smiling.

"Are you finding this funny?!" Aelita yelled.

"No, just slightly ironic and definitely hypocritical. The evidence against you is that you quickly, almost nonchalantly, threw out the daughter of Herring because she inconvenienced you and your girlfriend. But equally, you knew the effect it would have on your friend Odd. Hypocritically, you preach to me about forcing you to choose, and you force Odd to choose. See the problem here? You are no better than me. You just look prettier, and that's it.

Ironically, you claim I know what I do to you. Yet conversely, you somehow weren't knowingly forcing Odd to take action? Of course, you were. But you didn't care, now did you? Nor did the adversely affected for their numerous reasons. Unfortunately, you'll never admit that, but your admission is immaterial. Your actions are what matter. So, we are at a moral impasse. But for me, I just accept you, and I are no different from each other in either pro or con.

So, moral of the story, don't think you of all people can come to me and speak to me of morality and justice. Because Aelita, you are just a kid sitting at the grown-ups table. Now that we have the truth out there, how about you sit down, and we talk about the vision of North-Gate and just how it came to be?"

Aelita simply stood, "I'll listen to you, but I'm not sitting in your chair that you likely have booby-trapped."

Sylvia sighed, "I'd prefer you to be comfortable because this will take a bit of time."

"If that's the case, give the highlights of what's most important for your view of change. Similarly, provide the reasons you took select approaches. It saves time.

You speak with great conviction of a view of the future. It's a view of the future beyond the theoretical, even I, the child, can see that. So, tell me your principle policies that have held true."

Sylvia replied, "I could just save us both time. I could print you off a list of the policies for you to read in your own time. If you have questions, simply ask them. Yes, that is much simpler."

"That's simple for you?" Aelita asked, "All your grandiose speeches about all manner of miscellaneous whatnot, and you condense it to a list? What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. Moreover, I have my reasoning for this approach. For why waste my breath on a girl who is not even interested in what I have to say? You'll tell me all manner of what not to do, regardless. That much is obvious. So, here, read the list, and if you have questions, ask. You don't want me to 'waste your time' and give a lecture? Fair enough, here is your homework. You want to be a real-life girl? Welcome to college. There will be a quiz in the next few days."

The hologram disappeared, and from the computer, Aelita saw several sheets of paper come out and fall the chair, which acted as an impromptu printing tray. Once the documents had finished collecting, Aelita went over and picked up the papers. She found each page was divided into unique divisions of overarching policies. After Aelita had sorted them, the door to the lift was heard to open.

Aelita looked at the lift; it was empty. Aelita hesitated and looked at the projection pad, then she heard Sylvia say from the P.A., "_Get in the lift, little lady. This session is over. Please make an appointment with the receptionist on the way out." _

Aelita rolled her eyes, but as she headed towards the lift, Sylvia asked, "_Come now, why such a look of disregard? I could be like Jeremy was and tell you that you have no statistical chance of your daddy returning despite your conviction and beg you to focus on the future. But I'm not doing that, now am I?"_

Aelita whirled around, "Oh, you really want to go there?"

"_We're already there."_ Sylvia replied with a laugh, _"You can't tell me with a straight face that Jeremy didn't have an ulterior motive for wanting daddy-dearest out of the picture. I mean, even I can see it's convenient. To have you for himself and equally act out his Oedipal desires, wouldn't you say?"_

Aelita became disgusted, throwing the papers before her at the invisible specter she felt was directly in front of her, "He's not that way! Will you stop?! Will you just stop being the fucking overly harsh accuser?! Will you stop?!"

"_Sister, do not be angry with me. I simply state what I observe. Equally, you both possess the knowledge of who you really are and what that knowledge entails. I am not as harsh as I can even have the right to be. I simply want you to hear this from a party, who up until recently, was very much the neutral observer. That is all." _

Aelita's could feel her blood rising, gently, her clenched fist began to shake.

"_Don't go off half-cocked." _Sylvia's voice rang out so that it startled Aelita out of her anger in a degree of fear, "_Listen to me, Sister. If you want to have any hope of negating what is to come, shut up with your pride, and listen. _

_Read what I have given you if you want to see what is to come. Do your homework. You have said over and over you wish to help me, this is how you do it. Look at my policies and __**respectfully **__review it. To respectfully review means a constructive critique as you will learn in school. Point out the good, but also what you'd like to see fixed._

_That is all I have to say right now. Take your papers and go. As a matter of fact—"_

A click was heard, and Aelita suddenly felt a massive gust of wind fill the computer chapter. She didn't know where this wind came from. But she was amazed as both the papers and she were lifted and suspended, as if in a bubble. Through a viable feeling of alternating wind current, the papers she had thrown where assembled, and as the fans died down, she was lowered to the ground. The documents landed in a neat stack in her hands.

"_Now, leave, please." _Sylvia replied,_ "I have much on my mind." _The computer room and all within it went completely dark with the only light coming from the lift, which Aelita knew Sylvia had amplified from the last time she was there.

Entering the lift, Aelita sighed as the door closed. She was about to press the lift button when it automatically pressed. Aelita smirked, thinking to herself, "_Cute. She really wants me out of here. Alright, I get the picture. Man, you're annoying." _

The lift hissed, and the door opened. Aelita stepped out, and she saw entire teams of men loading the contents of what had been on the main floor into a variety of boxes and crates. She saw them doing their jobs silently and diligently.

Approaching one of the men, a man who was bald and dressed in what looked like a grey tracksuit with a worker's belt cinched around his waist, and asked, "Excuse me, you just were set up a little while ago, why the sudden move?"

The man looked at Aelita, his brown eyes showing threw his well-kept glasses. He gave a gentle smile and went about his business.

Aelita thought, "_Okay, so no answer from him. If I know anything, there's a reason for that. Even though there may be a reason, I feel I won't like it." _

Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, Aelita headed out of the factory and began a walk that quickly transitioned to a run towards Yumi's house.

Soon, Aelita was at Yumi's door, and she knocked a couple of times gently. The door handle jiggled, and Akiko was on the other side of the threshold. Aelita thought to herself, "_She looks terrible." _

"Hi." Akiko said, "Yumi's upstairs. Keep it down please, I'm recovering from jetlag." Akiko simply walked off, and Aelita entered the house.

It was bizarre for her, admittedly. Seeing the usually strong matriarch truly worn down. She heard footsteps near the stairs and saw Yumi, who simply motioned for her to come up, equally pressing her finger to her lips.

Aelita nodded, and, taking off her shoes, she headed upstairs and followed Yumi through to her room.

Sitting down, Aelita asked, "Is your mom alright? Forgive me, she looks like hell."

Yumi nodded and sat down across from Aelita, "She's okay." She said softly, "It's been a long stretch of work that finally caught up to her. That's what I'm chalking it up to anyway. So, what's new?"

"I had to talk to you." Aelita said, "I talked with my sister, and the jolly professor gave me homework."

Yumi chuckled, "Homework. Yeah, like we don't get enough of that."

"Right? Anyway, Stalin asked me to give her policies a once-over and give a constructive critique. You know what galls me? She is so condescending she thinks I don't know what a constructive critique is. Can you believe that?"

Yumi shrugged, "Maybe she's just being specific, so there's no confusion. Forgive me, Aelita, but not every one of our peers knows what constructive critique is. I don't even give the best of those, to be honest."

Aelita sighed and handing Yumi the papers, "Could you read them to me, please?"

Yumi looked at her strangely, "Why? Did you suddenly go blind?"

Aelita shook her head gently, smiling, and took them back, "Very well, then."

Yumi withdrew the papers, "If you want me to read them to you, I can. But why would you want me to read them to you when you have clearly working eyeballs?"

Aelita looked at Yumi, clearly tired, and replied, "I just got lectured on moralism from a psychotic girl in a machine. I wanted a break from having to read something written under a spell of what is likely well-meaning mania. Is that good enough for you?"

"Yeesh, you ask a simple question—you'd think I'd turned you in to the Spanish Inquisition." Yumi paused and looked around.

"What are you looking for?" Aelita asked.

"Oh, sorry. Was expecting three loons in red robes and hats to come out of nowhere. Eh, never mind."

Aelita shook her head and gave a small chuckle, "Really, Yumi? _Really?" _

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten your mood. I'm sorry if your sister is a bit socially inept, it doesn't mean you can project onto me. If you had to project, go fuck Jeremy. Angry sex sometimes helps spice up the routine and equally gets rid of stress—just saying."

Aelita was surprised, "Uh, are you alright? Did you hit your head? Since when did you start giving me sexual performance tips?"

"Oh, about a minute and a half ago when I realized if you're too angry to listen to someone just trying to make a joke. Why do you have to be so serious all the time?"

"I'm not overly so, Yumi. And if I am, it's not without reason."

"I'm not sure, Aelita. Ever since your sister came along, you've been wildly more irritable. You're kinda' flip-flopping all over the place. I get it, she's done some things; okay, she's done some horrible shit. Heck, I've seen two of her methods, but I'm concerned because you're losing your cool. You've never been this way when it came to dealing until it turned personal. So, what's happened to make you so angry? Because you can say what you want, you're not yourself."

Aelita sighed, and as she did, she felt an immense feeling of relaxation. But just as suddenly as the relaxation was, her anger welled. Finally, Aelita spoke, "It' just not fair. It's not fair that this person acts as if they know everything, the ins and outs of how we feel, and how our family operates. I fucking hate it, Yumi.

I hate it. The fact this girl is so hard and malicious with me. The fact she speaks as if she knows she's right. I just-can't stand Sylvia thinks she knows she knows everything, she doesn't!" Aelita remembered to keep quiet, "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout."

Yumi looked at her, seeing the distress, and after a moment replied, "What has she assumed about you and us? What does she profess to know?"

"It's a lot of stuff, just—she's wrong, that's all to be said."

"I don't think so." Yumi said, and Aelita looked her, a stern expression on her face, but immediately, Yumi seized Aelita's hands but gently, "Aelita," Yumi said softly, "listen. Don't react, just listen. If it were the case, if your sister were utterly wrong, it'd roll off your back. Clearly, that's not the case, what's making you so mad?"

"She—"Aelita said, tear's forming, "she's so unfair. She hasn't lived my life; she doesn't' know what it is to love people. I love Jeremy, I truly do. But she twists it. She perverts it. She makes it so much worse than what it is."

"In what way?"

"Before I answer your question, I must ask you a question. Your answer won't leave this room, but I need to ask."

Yumi was hesitant but nodded, "Go on."

"Do you think there's something wrong with our relationship? Jeremy's and mine?"

Yumi let go of Aelita's hands, and she replied, "I think I know what was said between you two, you and your sister. I'm not going to answer you. There's such a thing as the kindness of silence."

"So, it's true. You think there's something wrong?" Aelita asked with an undercurrent of anger in her voice, her hands tensing.

Yumi didn't react but kept a steady lock on Aelita's eyes, "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," Aelita replied.

"Now, who's assuming?" Yumi asked.

"Then why don't you say anything?" Aelita fired back.

"Because I don't think it'll matter what I say in the end. Sadly, you're not doing much to help my view."

Aelita looked at her, "You want to know what she said?"

"I'd prefer that as opposed to more of this," Yumi replied.

Aelita rolled her eyes, "Alright. She accuses Jeremy of using me as a vehicle to act out of Oedipal impulses and fantasies."

"Huh?" Yumi asked, "What's that?"

"It's a thing where you want to sleep with your mother. Based on the tragedy of King Oedipus by Sophocles."

"Eww! Seriously?! That's just—" Yumi was seen to cringe in genuine disgust, "No, no. Just—no! What kind of sick mind thinks that way?!"  
"So, yeah, that's just one of the accusations. The other accusation is, and it's likely how Sylvia got Odd hooked is she claims that we all dismissed Brynja out of our jealously and not out of any genuine tangible reason other than she threatened us."

"Okay, I can see the whole Brynja thing; that's not a hard case to make. But the Ed guy? Ugh! Besides, Jeremy hates his mother, well not hates, but doesn't' care for her. So, that whole accusation, gross as it is, doesn't really apply."

"I think it's her implication with the age difference, honestly."

"So, Jeremy likes older women, is that exactly a problem?" Yumi asked.

"To Sylvia, it's a point that in the right light can have some frightening implications. I mean Jeremy's thirteen. By all rights, I'm twenty-two. I can more than see how Sylvia will use this and not have a pinch of shame in doing so."

"But she's missing the point. To the true world, the real world, you're the same age in every aspect of the word, save for mentally and even debatable."

"But Sylvia's not our world. Sylvia's looking at the implications from a very—" Aelita sighed getting up, "admittedly honest view of just the facts of a situation. That is a major thing for her. She oddly approaches this whole world as if she were a true judge. I gotta' wonder how she viably views the world. I already know she sees it as cruel and callous and all manner of corrupt, but there's goodness too."

Yumi replied, "It's right here. The question you asked, how she sees the world, page three. I'll read it to you."

Aelita sat down on Yumi's bed as she listened.

"It has been my understanding that there must be a proper standard of genuine justice. I have looked at all manner of elements of the judicial system through the lenses of various countries and their respective cultures.

After sufficient time and analysis of averages, I have concluded that I have devised a system of judicial correction. The system is oriented in what is aspired restoration-oriented justice.

I have grown very weary of the overly zealous masses. I have seen them in their thirst and demand for the death of "the animals of the world." The funny thing about these meat bags, much as it was with our hypothesis of various mental exercises, we have proven through the exercise implementations that the masses say they want this or that, be it a cleansing or pretty much anything.

The sad truth is, they want whatever they cry for, and yet, upon receiving it, they want it to apply to all else but them.

It's the sad double-standard of society throughout time. The commoner cries for financial equality, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, it's not viable. Equality does not exist in the human spectrum unless we overhaul where society has always had its foundation: Justice: Justice for all_, equal justice for all._

The money a citizen has will never make them exempt from the law. In fact, it will prove your undoing pending your situation. Equally, the impoverished citizen will be assessed. How much effort is put into something? The answer to this question is his measurement of what he is doing and what his not. What is the thing he is emphasizing for focus? Does it benefit the people at large? If yes, then this is accounted for. Wasting time is not seen as of benefit, especially when calibrated under the factors and determined by the committee to be a waste of time."

Aelita grimaced, "Who is she to determine what a waste of time is? That's an awful lot of self-appointed power."

Yumi looked at her and continued to read.

"The determinant factors that constitute a waste of time in terms of the simplest definition, a waste of one's talent. One may be an artist, a stonemason, architect, a painter—any craft. If a citizen does not develop this talent, through both lessons and, more critically, _application_ of said lessons, that is a waste of talent, and they will be reassessed by the committee.

Until the citizen is reassessed, he or she will be reallocated to the essential labor of the civilian sector. This entails what is terms as "the guts of the cities." This is not meant to be a punishment, but it is merely ensuring that the citizen(s) will not be a unit sitting idle while reassessment is made. However, if a citizen is under reassessment, all benefits they had before their reassessment will continue until a verdict is reached. Only afterward will the citizen's benefits be scaled back, retain their default, or in rare cases, be enhanced, albeit temporarily pending the verdict's factors."

Yumi was surprised, "Not bad. Not bad, at least she's given this kind of thought."

"What about her justice, what is justice in her world plan?" Aelita asked.

Yumi looked through the papers, "Ah, here, we go. Appropriately titled, law and order."

Her eyes went wide, and Aelita saw the surprised looked as Yumi winced, "Ooh, okay, lady. That is uh, interesting."

"What is?"

"Let me read some basic aspects of her law and her surprisingly brief explanations first before going to the meat and potatoes."

Yumi cleared her throat and began, "Primary policy: Conscription, the youth at age sixteen will be trained to suitably defend our homeland and our districts. We are negating England's disaster that was the Pals' Brigade and simply instating district defense for a broader stroke system.

Secondary Policy: Corporal Punishment. All offenders of crime (only after the judicial verdict) are subject to an option of corporal punishment in the sight of all or an extended period in the regrowth initiative named, "The Carolinas." This also extends to the classroom regarding the correction of students. However, physical harm is not to be applied in the schools, merely a 'reallocation of discipline' for what is to be a restorative procedure.

Tertiary Policy: Jails and prisons are not employed. After judicial protocol and verdict pending the severity of the crime, the country's criminal punishments are calibrated in accordance with the offense. A thief will be made to work the land under supervision to expand or maintain agricultural initiatives.

A murderer, however, will be counseled, and after extensive evaluation by judicial oversight, his guilt will be genuinely assessed. If he is truly repentant, he will undergo a harsher workforce sentence regarding a more protracted punishment.

Murders, while they are barbaric, their circumstances and all therein are calibrated. The motive may matter, but premeditation is more critical. By premeditation's evident severity, the lesser cases are given greater lenience. The higher form of premeditation that is evident, the punishment will suitably adjust. If a citizen is genuinely shown to be both unrepentant and irredeemable, they are appropriately placed within the State's Ludus. They trained to put their savage nature to the ultimate test and ultimate use for the State from the Ludus. (See Gladiatorial Economic Conduct and Regulation under State Industry.)

Acts such as involuntary manslaughter are met with two years in the meatpacking sector of the affiliated city. Manslaughter proper is punished with three years by comparison.

After such time as all citizens, per crime, have served their sentences, they will be given a form of release and work reference allocating their performance as reviewed by their overseer. This will allow them to reenter the civilized world and have a foothold in an established workforce sector."

Yumi smiled, "She even has a use for murderers!" She laughed out loud, "This nut even has a use for murderers! She's a tight ass, but man, that's actually smart. Old school for sure, but it works. Hold on, I want to read the Gladiator Economic aspect."

Aelita was amazed, "How are you on board with this?!"

Yumi didn't answer and went through the pages, "Here it is. Oh, wow! She even has a breakdown of her economic system down to percentages of focus. Aelita put your pride aside and just read this." Yumi said as she gave her the paper.

Aelita looked at her friend, stunned, "You can't tell me you're actively enjoying this!"

"Just read it!" Yumi said, "You are knocking this before you get a hard look at this."

Aelita scowled and took the paper and said, "Oh, she even has charts, of course, she does. Alright, what malarkey do we have here?"

Yumi was looking at Aelita, hoping she would see what was before her. However, despite what Yumi was expecting, it was not to be. Aelita's face became very angry. She crumpled the paper so fiercely and so compactly it might as well have been a paper golf ball as Aelita threw it to Yumi's wastepaper basket with perfect precision.

She shook her head, "I can't believe even you are falling for this." However, there was something more, something Yumi knew needed to come out.

Yumi got up, and she approached Aelita, "What's wrong, Aelita? You know it's—"

"It's beautiful, damn it!" Aelita tearfully admitted, "It's beautiful, but it doesn't address the cost! The cost of human liberty! It's all uniform; labeled and organized, but where's the freedom?!"

Yumi looked at her and gently took Aelita by the shoulders, "She accounts for human freedom, we see this. What is the real issue?"

Aelita violently shook free, "She wants this vision, but also she treats us, and humans overall like animals. She treats us without respect as if we're not worthy of freedom. If we have freedom in her brave new world, it is from a set list of choices that _she _gives us. That's my issue."

"To quote Jerry Seinfeld, it's the beauty of living under a totalitarian regime. You don't have to think so much. I mean, think about it. Could it not be what you see as a proper limitation of freedom, while it looks that way, she allows your skills to be embraced but within reason?

You told her yourself her vision is not viable. So, in a way, she took it to heart. At the same time, she didn't give up on it. Equally, she knows that people don't actively want to do anything for anyone apart from themselves. She states that on page one. Acknowledging this, Sylvia decidedly made maintaining the city's guts or society as punishment for those who disobey.

It's smart. Sylvia knows almost everyone else sees maintaining something for someone else as drudge work. What better way to make that a negative reinforcement that when you bank on people being people, you are going to have a stable, almost everpresent workforce under the guise of restorative justice? Equally, unlike a lot of prisoners, you are not disgraced; you're given a reference. So, honestly, if you don't want drudge work, do your job, and perfect your talent. That's it.

Gotta' be honest, I think it's a far sight better than killing people or prisons, which are just eyesores anyway. So, you may not like her, but she really does have a solution. Which, even I find admittedly shocking that it's this well-thought-out."

Aelita shook her head, "You have no idea what you're in for if you embrace this."

"Oh, really? Is that the case, or are you just being a bit overly sensitive?"

Seeing that she was getting nowhere with this discussion, Yumi said, "Look, here's what I'll do. I'll read all of this, and I'll actively look for holes. Believe me, they exist in the best plans. So, I will look over it all and then give you as fair a critique as possible. But admittedly, she's selling me on it so far."

"Okay, but when this goes tits up, you can't say you weren't warned. Enjoy yourself. I'll be back in a couple days when we're made to leave Kadic."

"Alright, I'll have everything read by then. Oh, and Aelita, before you go, I know you have your differences, but can you just admit to me this is kind of what many us would like? Sylvia's plan, I mean "

"At the cost of my personal choices? Tch, you might as well kill me." Aelita replied as she turned and headed out quickly.

Yumi sighed as she went to her wastepaper bin and uncrumpled the paper. There was soon a knock at her door, and Yumi said, "Come in."

"Yumi, what happened?" Akiko asked as she gently opened the door, "Your friend seemed in a terrible mood."

"Oh, it's nothing. Some people are a lot like their significant others, neither can admit when they're wrong. Sorry for her disturbing you, mom."

"It's alright. I just wanted to make sure things are okay between you two."

"It's fine, thanks. She's just having some sister issues. That's all. Oh, Mom, question, how'd your business trip go?"

"Long." Akiko gave a light chuckle, "Long, that's all. By the way, I forgive you for the lettuce you have. However, don't do again, you understand me?"

Yumi looked at her, "I understand."

"Good, next time, you're out on your ass. I don't care, and I won't care what your reasons are. Do you understand?"

Yumi nodded, "I've been exposed to a friend who really doesn't' care about reasons, so I get it. More than before, believe me."

Akiko nodded, "Good. Now, if you don't mind, if you have your friends come over, can you head out to talk to them?"

Yumi nodded, "Again, sorry for the interruption."

Akiko closed the door, and Yumi started to look over the papers. As she read, a thought crept into her mind, "_Aelita, you may not like your sister for whatever reason. But sadly, from what I'm seeing, your sister may know just what too much freedom is, and maybe that's why it seems so harsh. But, I see something you may not; at least, Sylvia's willing to compromise."_


	61. Chapter 61

_**AN: I am so delighted to bring you this chapter, and I was thinking long and hard on various attempts, and the guidance God has given me is so much simpler and more fun in my personal opinion than what I originally had planned. I hope you have a great time reading and want to shout out to a surge in my Canadian fanbase. Thank you, and welcome aboard.  
**_

_**Finally, thank you, all of you, whose support in reading and reviewing this work has been wonderful and immensely encouraging. Read, Review, and Enjoy,  
**_

_**Love,**_

_**Pagliacci-11. **_

Chapter 61

Aelita had just returned to her dorm, and as she opened the door, she saw Jeremy sitting on one of the beds, and he looked surprised to see her.

"Where were you?" Jeremy asked, "I didn't see you at breakfast."

"I had some things I had to take care of, that's all," Aelita replied as she sat down on the bed opposite Jeremy.

He looked at her and seeing irritation on her face, asked, "Are you alright? You seem a bit—tense."

"I'm fine. I just needed to talk with Yumi for a bit. That's why I went early. I figured if I could catch her before her day started, I could get a few things sorted out." She laid down on the bed.

"I wouldn't get comfortable." Jeremy cautioned, "The official transfer to Mercier begins today. Jim's already going dorm to dorm."

Aelita gave a short exhale as she replied, "Great. But wait, aren't we early?"

"We are, but I think also we have a greater influx of students than even Delmas anticipated. So, they're making as much room as possible, starting with what I assume are the most labor-intensive dorms."

"Something bothers me, though." Aelita said, turning her head to face him, "If we're being transferred anyway, why were you so viciously territorial with Alfonse when he first arrived as in divvying up the room?"

"Simple." Jeremy replied, "Mr. Kruger and I will be roommates transferring over to Mercier. It's kinda' how it works traditionally. That way, we meet our roommates here, and we get used to them. Unlike most aspects of the traditional period, this summer break is an acclimation while Mercier clears out its own students for graduation."

Aelita nodded, "So, what does that say about me? Amelia was my first roommate, but that wasn't my fault. But what about Jacqueline? I mean, you know how teenagers are, you know what a rumor-mill Kadic is. Do you think this will taint me in at Mercier?"

Jeremy shook his head, "Amelia was not your fault. Jacqui wasn't your fault, either. I mean, forgive me; it's not like you've fallen to the blight common to teens, pregnancy. But we've been careful, so it's not that bad."

"It's odd that you see it as a blight. Seems such an odd way to describe pregnancy." Aelita replied.

"Allow me to correct myself; pregnancy is just something that happens all too often, especially in our more advanced grades. So, yeah, not so common in our current grade, but later on, statistics dictate at least one pregnancy of those in our acquaintances."

"Well, so long as we continue to ensure our safety, we should be alright, correct?"

Jeremy nodded, "Correct."

"So, when will my transfer begin, do you know?"

"Judging by how much Jim as to do. Even with the usual help he has, I'd say anticipate you being started to be moved around midday. I mean, this kind of thing has almost all teachers on deck. But they are allocated per gender to avoid awkwardness. I mean, if I heard right, even Yolanda is pitching in with our move."

Aelita nodded, "It makes sense. So, I guess I should get ready."

Jeremy nodded, "I'll do likewise. The most cumbersome thing Al and I must move is my computer stuff. I'll say this, he's effective at spatial use, that's for sure."

Aelita nodded and said, "Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you when the day's complete."

Back at North-Gate's facility, Frankie was overseeing Sylvia's training as the latter experimented with weaponized variables before she decided to put them fully into production. As he watched, Frankie was surprised by how savoir-faire Sylvia regarded her weapons testing. He understood for Sylvia, this was as natural a process as breathing. Equally, he was frightened at how frightfully bureaucratic the entire process was. The computer for North-Gate already recorded the variables, but even in the knowledge of the recordings, Sylvia wrote down various notes in a small notebook.

While Sylvia tested her weapons further, Frankie would peak at these notes and be pleasantly surprised to see what she saw as needing work or refinement versus how many products were genuinely ready to launch. If these notes were to be believed, only three applications out of twenty were sufficiently prepared, but those three units profoundly impacted battle. To be fair, Frankie knew that Sylvia's end-goal was the efficiency of combat, the testing of the significant combative stress upon soldiers, and their physical resilience in response.

Once Sylvia had finished her most recent test, Frankie asked, "Sylvie, are you unhappy with the weapons overall?"

"No." was the reply as Sylvia detached the modification from her weapon and looked at it more closely, "Their tactical applications can simply be thoroughly expanded beyond our current models.

All that's needed is for our workshops to reference the older blueprints and run them through the North-Gate linkage protocol to boost their effectiveness." She took her book and wrote a small note. Closing the book, she said, "I know we could only bring so much during our initial jumps. So, the rest of it is on its way in terms of what we can fit per transfer."

Frankie nodded, "So, how long would you say we have before we have our traditional armed strength?"

Sylvia was seen to think for a moment or two, and she replied, "Soon enough. The final phases are nearly complete. The only thing we're missing is a few fanciful touches that may seem a little flamboyant, but they have their purpose." Sylvia turned back around, looking over all the tools on the table, and she placed all but four of them back into a crate.

Once done with her packing, Sylvia pressed a button, and a man in black expediently came forward. Sylvia said to him, "Send these back to the workshop with the notes I have made alongside each modification as per serial number. Have the workers send them back when these requested changes are completed to see how they impact performance. Thank you."

The man nodded and quickly departed with the crate, and as he disappeared, Frankie asked, "New guy?"

"One of our newer recruits on the entry-level of vetting. You know how it is, Francis. All have their menial tasks to ease them into greater areas of responsibility."

Frankie nodded, "I have a question, though. How long do you think the ruse will hold out? With your sister and her cohorts?"

"I wouldn't say much longer. Even if they figure it out, it will be too late to act. Everything is nearly transferred, everything of crucial operational importance. The countermeasure testing proved most fruitful, and since we changed the energy signature, our spectrum of detection is largely unnoticed. I would have it no other way. That said, complacency is our enemy if indulged too much. That is why we are implementing phase three in about two hours."

"I see and the whole return to the past crux, how does that factor in?" Frankie replied, "Every time we transfer, it's always a bit different."

"This is true. However, that was the first element that I chose to negate upon arrival. Which is why Terrance was my first true ground probe. Yolanda more than served her purpose, but that was the raw exposure element of the countermeasure."

"I see. So, a question I have, and I know our dear doctor has, why did XANA show the ability to bypass the implant in her head? We have direct evidence from the testimony of her compromisation but also her recovery from such a state. Can you explain that?"

"I can, and I should. Thank you for reminding me. You know what? Call everyone in for a meeting. I'd feel better to cover this right now. Equally, once I explain, hopefully, it will be of great benefit for not only Yolanda, who was adversely affected, but for the team overall."

Frankie nodded, "Would you like us to have a luncheon? Given the time for our team to assemble, I figure some refreshments would be in order."

Sylvia nodded, "Send through to Sforza."

Frankie smiled, "Excellent choice. Do you have any preference?"

"Honestly, I think I'll make some homemade bratwurst. It has been a while. Thank you, though."

Once the team had assembled and sat down at the long table, Sylvia spoke, "It has come to my attention that many of you have had various concerns about what could be argued the technical compromises experienced in our initial phases. Specifically, you, Yolanda, regarding your possession by XANA. I figured a meeting of this type was necessary to help clear the air regarding any doubts or concerns you and indeed any of our brothers and sisters may have."

Yolanda nodded and replied, "I'm glad you chose this time wisely. Because it is something, I was really concerned about. So, just how did it function? Well, how did the implant not protect me from undue influence, shall I say?"

"Well, you're not going to like me for saying this, but it was by design," Sylvia replied.

Yolanda shot up from her seat, "What?!" she screamed, "You designed the implant to make me susceptible?!" Her eyes burned intensely, and never had any of the team seen her so riled before.

"Heidi," Sylvia said, "let me explain."

Yolanda slammed her fist down, "Fuck explanation! I've done a lot of shit for this operation; put up with a lot of stuff, but this is too far! I was told to keep track of Hopper's work up to and including his disappearance and the work those brats were doing when Jeremy fired up the computer. But, for you to sit there and say you enabled a malevolent AI to override me entirely?! I used to think that Aelita just was not giving you the benefit of the doubt, but no, you're sick in the head! You're crazy!"

Sylvia looked at her in light of this outburst and asked, "Would you have preferred I lie and say it was a fluke of the technology? I could have. It wouldn't have been true. You wanted to be kept up to speed with our work, yes? That is what you implored to Terry in more practical situations between you, so is this not what you wanted?

I could have lied to you, but that would be inherently dishonest. And you know I have no benefit from lying to you, especially in this regard. If I did lie to you, it would only serve as ammunition for your endeavors once the truth was let out. I can't exactly have that for reasons that should be self-evident."

Yolanda shook her head in horror, "You're insane. You willfully used me! But why?"

"Well, we're getting to that. Can you please sit down?"

"Get to it!" Yolanda barked.

Sylvia rolled her eyes and replied, "Alright, fine. See, I knew XANA was active from the second you experienced the first return the past; it was admittedly a negation of a few things on first exposure. That said, my suspicions were confirmed from your body's energy readings due to the temporal reversal. Once that was done compiled with your records transmitted to base, I figured a contingency plan would be best to be implemented.

Sadly, you were the only viable covert unit on the ground at the time. So, I sent a command code to open you up to XANA, and once I was sure of feedback, I activated the same protocol in Jean-Pierre.

That said, the sacrifice of being compromised in both aspects proved highly beneficial for elements that are beyond your visible form of heartache and likely betrayal."

"Oh, such as? I'm still waiting for your reasoning of why you compromised myself and Jean-Pierre by your own admission." Yolanda replied, her arms crossed.

Sylvia replied, "Like as not, there were beneficial aspects that you will experience. The first being from your own biological feedback in addition to Jean-Pierre in. From those two sets of data, we could adequately acclimate the rest of the team who was on their way in due time. It took a bit of time in the environmental simulator, but we were sufficiently acclimated when it came to landfall. Equally, it gave me a back door into Jeremy Belpois's various probes into XANA and his implementations as countermeasures. The sad truth is about the kid is for all his brains, he's not got a lot of common sense. For Pete's sake, he uses his personal laptop to keep track of the supercomputer.

It was easy for me, therefore, to subject first you and then Jean to XANA's possession. This was decided as a course of action to get a direct feed into XANA's database and scan his internal workings and extensions, while he transmitted from his location to you both.

But because it was somewhat, albeit inconveniently amplified through the implants, it allowed me to see how possession impacted your bodies and brains. Yes, you and Jean did not benefit from having your memory erased; however, your contributions to what transpired later more than helped with the remote soldier protocol. Another benefit was that because XANA was in the supercomputer before being transmitted into the internet, I saw his protocols and CPU in addition to Jeremy's own, shall we say "boot nuke" schematics for XANA.

I give the boy credit where due. That he devised the anti-XANA software. Additionally, when he made all that effort to materialize our sister, well, he helped further our own goal of precision-calibrated soldiers. It also showed me what XANA was capable of when he possessed you; and what North-Gate is capable of by extension. You could tap into the natural energy field by the implant's design and takeover by XANA. Why else do you think your power output under possession was greatly amplified compared to his other cases? Able to make actual physical energized spheres?

So, angry at me as you may be and have the right to understand I am not without reason. But had I explained my reasoning, I could not take the likely chance you'd go rogue and not have sufficient means to shut you down. For goodness sake, you'd have compromised the entire mission.

But for the sake of transparency, I figured it best to keep select cards to my chest until the main objective, which was a source of your inconvenience, was complete. Also, I knew you'd demand an answer at some point, and from this, I decided to have an open forum. This is mostly due to the fact I know your proclivities in more closed-off environments. You are human, so it's understandable. Equally, I'd prefer viable witnesses to keep your more savage nature in check."

Yolanda looked at Sylvia, stunned, "You, you see no wrong in what you have done, do you?"

Sylvia shrugged, "Not if it's for the greater good, no, not really, no."

"For the greater good? Define the greater good, by your definition." Yolanda replied.

"This would depend on the context quite heavily. To be honest, in this context, operation effectiveness and sufficient protection of agent assets. I'm not heartless, Londie. Arrogant, maybe, probably definitely by many of other's opinions. But have you ever considered that I put my money where my mouth is?

Do you ever consider that I am this way out of want of genuine efficiency and relative peace instead of just giving you my views out of what you perceive to be an asinine aspect of grandstanding? Is it also possible because I see so much wrong with this world that I hold the belief that if shown the proper order and structure, with no one person having an excess of more than the other, that so many of these people would find joy in what they do? You don't consider that. You only how you're adversely affected because really you're in this for the jockeying of position. But only for so long as you are not disadvantaged, which can be said for a lot of you.

But you, Yolanda, I'm having greater difficulty with because, as good as you are, I don't like the snake games you play. You're trying to turn Terry against me in the dark whisperings of your head; you didn't want Maria here for that additional principle. You know Maria acts as his literal better half; equally, you're trying to hamstring me. You don't think I know what goes in your wheelhouse? In the wheelhouse of all of you? I do. But, I'm still merciful.

I will tell you now; if you dare to think so much as to try and outmaneuver me out of spite, I will blow your blonde head clean off your shoulders. Maybe I'll put it under glass, you know? Something to go between Hedgehog and Hermit Crab. So, you want to play crazy? Go ahead, little girl, you haven't _seen _crazy yet."

"Don't you call me crazy, Sylvia!" Yolanda barked, "_Ever! _Because I have been called crazy ever since I shared knowledge of you with friends from the old country when I told them of the visions promising order and peace from a girl who literally appeared out of thin air."

"That's your own fault, then. I did tell you when we first met, that none would believe you. But equally well, you didn't listen to me. So, your agony is on your own head. Sorry."

"You make me sick; you know that?! You think you know everything just because you have seen the pattern emerge over and over. You don't seem to understand the world changes and grows and advances in understanding beyond the realm of what you see as predictable. But you don't care for people, not really. I told you this already, you use them as a means to an end, so long as it matches up with your vision, that's all you care about."

Sylvia sighed, "The reason I see them as predictable is that they are. All this changing and growth and understanding it sounds great on paper, but it's at the sacrifice of greater things. Change and growth? Is it genuine, or is it molded in response to the rules set before them? Until you can actively convince me that your fellow man is no more than merely adapting to authority to circumvent that said authority, your argument holds no weight."

"So, you'd dismiss every bit of growth by that logic," Yolanda replied. "The advancements of medicine and technology may as well be undone, and we all go back to the dark ages by that philosophy."

"Did you hear me say I would prefer we regress? No, you didn't. But perhaps if you look at it from my perspective, we can make real headway. You give a child a tool, and you explain the basic premise of it but don't supervise them in their use of it, they will abuse the hell out of it, twisting the tool into their own use. The same is observed in a more advanced model in the teenager,_ especially_ in the teenager." Sylvia lightly laughed, "You advance to an adult, and the adult only becomes more self-justifying and devious in their applications of the tool.

Contrary to your objections, I do not believe in societal regression. I believe actively in supervision and proper instruction as society develops and implements various ever-advancing tools. Knowledge is vital, but supervision of proper use it is preferred to boundless freedom."

"And imagination?" Yolanda asked, "the very thing that truly got you and all of us here, what about that? Is there no room for that?"

"I'm not saying you can't improve upon the system that exists, it's natural. But usually, it comes out of a want to benefit others, not so much personal ambition or the like. You'll notice that with what I call the enduring legacy. The most enduring legacies of the human race are those advancements made for the betterment of all. The contrast of this betterment is the mirror of the more primitive ways of the past. Now, equally, you will have a few shysters along the way who'll rise to prominence because of professed greater good and some degrees of attributed genius. But really to them, the monetary gain is the only real motive: Thomas Edison and his skullduggery with Tesla being a prime example.

Sadly, even I know that history, the things we adore, and the people we uphold are written by victors through what is allowed to persist. You know this, Yolanda. Therefore, I ask you, does my view of things make sense when explained this way?"

"It does. But as _you_ know, conversely. Just because something is well-reasoned or explained, it doesn't make it necessarily right." Yolanda countered.

"This discussion can go on for eternity, but for the sake of time, we can condense this down to the question: what is right? You know the answer, it is the epitome of subjective. Ideally, what is right is for the good of all. However, the good of all means the dissenters must be silenced at worst or at best, supervised and taught restraint until they can sufficiently hold their ground in the grand arena of debate in the public forum."

Sylvia looked at the group, "Alright. Any other questions, any other aspects we'd like to have sorted out?"

There was silence among them, and Sylvia nodded, "Alright, the meeting's adjourned."

Back at Kadic, Aelita was with Jim as he was moving out of the AC Unit. As Jim placed the unit onto a high-platform dolly, he said, "You're lucky, Stones. Most would kill to have an AC like this follow them around. But, hey, it saves Mercier from another one I suppose so, benefits for both you and the building, I guess."

Aelita nodded and asked, "Excuse me, Jim. Where is Nurse Yolanda? I heard she was going to help some of us girls with packing."

Jim secured the AC unit on the dolly and, after a sigh, said, "Ms. Perraudin has been called off for a little thing. Don't worry, though. She'll be back to move a lot of you out in just a bit. However, in her place, Rosa will be along to help you packed. The staff at Mercier will be helping you with settling in on your arrival."

"Are we going to Mercier immediately?" Aelita asked, quite surprised by this detail.

"Yes. Before the day is out. With the massive influx of students coming in, we're making as much room as possible, and Dr. McGill at Mercier would like those coming from Kadic moved in quickly so you all can get adjusted to the campus. Alright," He totted the dolly on its wheels, "be back in a bit."

Aelita thought, "Wow, that doesn't sound so good for Odd. Moving all of us out this fast, I wonder if this will be an issue for him. Hm."

Aelita calculated the time it would take to Jim to get the AC downstairs, and she headed quickly down to the boys' dorm room and finding Ulrich and Odd's room, she knocked.

Odd came to the door and opened it just a crack, "Oh, hey. What's going on?"

Aelita looked at him, "Uh, Kadic's moving a lot of people out. I was wondering if you're ready for that?"

Odd nodded, "I'll be just fine. Thanks for the concern, though." He gently closed the door, and Aelita thought, "_Uh, okay." _At that moment, she heard a gentle, rhythmic thud begin to pick-up tempo. "_Ah, that's why." _Aelita chuckled as she walked back towards her dorm, "_Classic Odd." _

As she returned to her dorm, Aelita was surprised to see Yolanda out of her usual nurse attire, standing next to Jacqueline's bed.

"Oh, Yolanda," Aelita said, "I didn't expect you back so soon. Uh, here to help me pack?"

She nodded, "We have to be expedient in this. I know you're a smart girl, and genuinely accountable, but I have to assure extenuating parties of making sure you're packed before seven for transfer over to Mercier."

Aelita nodded and asked, "Are you always this formal?"

Yolanda smirked and replied, "No, sorry. Just a jerk of a friend is rubbing off on me is all. Come on, we have work to do, and not too much time to do it."

"Is she more jerk or friend?" Aelita asked.

"Depends on the day, honestly. Come on, let's get working."

An hour later, Aelita and Yolanda had securely packed all manner of articles that Aelita had owned into specific boxes that Aelita saw Yolanda had marked with her name and her room number.

As Yolanda made her scrawls, Aelita asked, "Yolanda, may I ask a question."

"Go ahead."

"What is to happen with my roommate's situation? I have talked to Jeremey, and I have found that usually, when there are transfers from Kadic to Mercier, that the roommate you are assigned is given to you to grow accustomed to you. Given my case with some things going on, where does that place me?"

Yolanda sighed as she stood up straight, "That's not exactly my department. But I can give you a probable situation if it'll help."

Aelita nodded, "Go on."

"Alright. Considering your altercation and subsequent report by Jim with the actions of Ms. Beck, she will not be your roommate for obvious reasons. Equally, with Jacqueline being more of the accidental death category, well, you're kinda' on your own for a bit. But Mercier's policies will undoubtedly remedy this situation sooner than later, if not upon immediate arrival.

Aelita, Mercier, is one of our more focused schools when it comes to international competition. So, it's unseemly to have a girl on her own in a dorm room for Mercier. But yeah, generally speaking, that's what's likely to happen."

Aelita nodded, "I was afraid for a bit that given my history with roommates it wouldn't be seen with well—"

Yolanda nodded, "Mercier doesn't care about such things. It's a principled institution, and additionally, they only care if you blatantly are a troublemaker or have extenuated academic difficulties. For example, your friend Ulrich may have a harder time fitting in than you will, but he'll adjust."

"So, Ulrich's joining Mercier? First, I've heard of it."

"Yeah, his paperwork went through a few days ago. He's likely already there."

Aelita smiled slightly and shrugged, "Not bad. Alright. So, we head to Mercier at seven this evening?"

"As soon as I finish marking your packages here, we take it down to a transit bus to be taken ahead of you; at seven, you and all others will go to Mercier."

Aelita nodded, and as Yolanda continued to write on the remaining boxes, Aelita thought, "_So, Ulrich's already there. Huh. I guess his mom and dad didn't want to take chances. Equally, given his father's almost anal predisposition towards control, it's not too surprising." _

"Alright." Yolanda said, capping the sharpie marker in her hand, "You're all set."

Aelita nodded, "Thank you. Oh, I just noticed something. You're a lefty."

Yolanda smiled, "Yeah, I'm a Southpaw. Why?"

"Just never noticed it before. Lefties are kind of rare."

"Yeah, well, we did accidentally find our way here. That might have something to do with it." Yolanda replied.

Aelita looked at her and asked, "Huh?"

"Oh, it's simple. See, we are the weird ones, but we are the opposite of you. Up for you is down for us. Hello, it is goodbye."

"So, you're from the Bizarro world?" Aelita asked.

"More or less. Think less bizarro and more mirror principle. Your right, our left, and versa vice." Yolanda said with a smile.

Aelita laughed a bit, "So, thinking on the mirror principle, does your mirror principle have the many world's theory?"

"No, it does not. Because we do not live with dwelling on regrets of the past as you do. We accept the past, and we grow from it in flows and ebbs. In many ways, we are more aware than you are, and yet we advance intellectually as opposed to technologically, whereas you do your natural mirrored inclination."

Aelita's eyes went wide in surprise, "You really have thought about this, huh? I get a joke, but you really did think about this?"

Yolanda smiled, "Eh, I've had time to think about it; nothing but time. Much like reality, even time is simply a blend of a state of mind and grand-scale-man-made globally-implemented mechanisms."

Aelita's eyes sparkled slightly as she took in this entire new side to their nurse. "Where was this Yolanda all our time here?" Aelita said with a smile.

"With respect, you never asked my opinions. Simply to tend to your wounds and injuries and smile; that is all you asked of me. So, these subjects were never broached." Yolanda picked up one of the heaviest boxes and said, "Stay, we must be late for the expulsion of these articles for Aluamerta Academy."

As Yolanda headed out, Aelita shook her head and, with a smile, said to herself, "Wow, talk about dedication to a joke."

As Aelita headed downstairs, she was amazed for the ten-second head-start Yolanda had; she was already awaiting her in the main lobby of Kadic.

"Come on, speedster. Can you move any slower?" Yolanda replied with a wink.

Aelita smiled, "Oh yeah, mirror girl? Who's your reflection in our supposed backward world?"

"Look at my qualities, who's the obvious candidate?" Yolanda asked as they headed out to the transfer van for student belongings.

"Well, sorry, now I see the flaw in the logic of your joke." Aelita said as she put her box into the van, "No one I know could match who you are. Because there is only one of you, and besides, I couldn't know you because you are an adult, and I don't think your mirror-self is a child."

"I never said my parallel self couldn't be a child. Equally, you could never know my opposite unless pointed out. So, use your deductive reasoning. Who am I in this world?"

"Oh, come on, there's a limit to a joke, and this is getting weird," Aelita replied.

Yolanda put her box in the storage compartment and said, "Well, okay. But bear in mind, it's like you were warned."

Yolanda headed back towards the dormitory as Aelita was dumbfounded. Soon, Yolanda looked back at her, "We don't have more boxes to pack!" She then burst out laughing as she headed back inside the girl's dorm.

Aelita sighed, "This is going to be a long twenty minutes. I better not encourage her."

"Is Nurse Yolanda alright?" a voice asked beside her.

Aelita turned and saw Heidi Klinger, "I sometimes wonder, Heidi. I think she's taking a joke too far."

Aelita rolled her eyes and headed back into the dormitory.


	62. Chapter 62

_**AN: I am immensely grateful to God for his help on this chapter. I was debating to amp this story up or make this chapter a tiny bit of a breather before the plunge. I am happy to say I could do both.  
**_

_**I thank all of my readers and reviewers who continue to read this work, and I welcome all newcomers. It just would not be the same without your encouragement, your critiques, and your dedication. From the bottom of my heart, I love every one of you.  
**_

_**As always, read, review, and enjoy. See you next chapter, and God bless.  
**_

_**Love,**_

_**Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 62

Seven o'clock had come, and the students of Kadic had boarded the bus to Mercier. Aelita sat alongside Jeremy. As she saw the school's familiar walls she'd come to call home fade away in the distance, she could not help but feel a bit of longing, a bit of sadness as it faded away into the fiery gold of the evening sun.

As Aelita turned back around, she saw Nicholas sitting alone. She nudged Jeremy, "Where's Sissi? It's unusual for Nicholas to be heading to Mercier unaccompanied."

Jeremy replied, "I heard from Milly and Tamia that Sissi had something come up and so she couldn't exactly go into Mercier as she'd hoped."

"That's really strange. Usually, Jean-Pierre does a lot of her thinking for her. Getting into Mercier shouldn't be too great an issue for her."

"Yeah, well, you know how things are. Sometimes, we're blindsided by things that not even we can anticipate."

Aelita nodded, and she said, "Well, at least we won't have to worry about an overly pretentious fashionista so much."

"Don't jinx us, Aelita, _please._" Jeremy said, "If all things are said and done, I'd have preferred Sissi be around. Her annoyances and hoopla are the brands of the shallow assertion of knowledge I'm used to. I'd hate the prospect of having to get used to that all over again. And given those of our upperclassmen, have it cranked up to eleven from Sissi's measly seven."

"So, Mercier, how much do you know about it?" Aelita asked, trying to change the subject.

"It's honestly more suited to us personally in terms of the academic field. See, while Aulamerta has its emphases of study, with music being a prime motivation and the arts in general, Mercier is more catered to intellectual hard value sciences. Advanced engineering principles, computer sciences, the list goes on."

"Uh, forgive me, Jeremy. But while that's all well and good, what about Ulrich? You know those emphases are not his strong suit, by a long-shot."

"Yes, but Ulrich isn't in the advanced spectrum of classes as we are. His education will be more of the traditional variety. So, it's not too far removed from Kadic. However, admittedly the one major area he'd likely struggle in is the rigidity of the academic teaching standards."

"Don't you think that knowing this, in the fact he's in a stricter standard is a bit detrimental to him? I mean, he didn't do the greatest at his work at Kadic. Even I can admit that. What's worse is that now there's no negation of his actions to help salvage his academic career."

"I know. It just goes to show you, Ulrich will have to buckle down if he expects to make it here. Equally, he has a major saving outlet, so I'm not terribly concerned. The outlet is the greater emphasis of sports proficiencies, which can save you if you happen to slip a bit as Ulrich will be prone to do, more likely than not."

Aelita shook her head, "You don't exactly have a lot of faith in him. He's supposedly your friend. You're not exactly fair, Mr. Overly-Endowed Intellect."

"Look, I'm not trying to be mean. I feel it better to address facts as they are as opposed to you know, embracing a hopeless optimist view, which is no more than a lie on a delayed fuse."

Aelita shook her head, "You don't have much humility, do you?"

"I deal with facts; I try to anyway. The world's a bit smoother when you do that."

"Oh, have you been talking to Sylvia by chance?" Aelita asked.

"No, no. I'm not that much of a jerk, come on, give me some credit."

"I'll give you credit when you give credit to Ulrich in his portion of persistence where it's due. How about that?" Aelita retorted.

Jeremy sighed, "Look, I get it. I just want a fresh start, but I just want to be realistic about acknowledging where we stand. At least for right now until we can hamstring North-Gate's stranglehold on the return the past."

Aelita nodded, "And how certain are you that the hamstring will work?"

"Pretty sure. Up until the last possible moment, I was able to run some test phases. However, I found something out. Your sister is brilliant. We'd have to attack and liberate each sector to restore our control as it once was. Unfortunately, she has a protocol in place to regenerate her hold, and so in reality, I've embraced this mindset. It's a considerable risk, admittedly no different than before. However, the tradeoff is it will hurt your sister far more than XANA.

To cut off her progress rate is far better than to destroy the supercomputer and so I've worked on the initial formula and streamlined the marabunta protocol."

Aelita's eyes went wide, and she almost laughed, "It's rare I say this, but that's even compared to Odd's standard of hair-brained schemes, really fucking stupid bordering on a guarantee of disaster."

"Aelita, it's not as bad as what it once was—" Jeremy attempted to explain.

"Yeah, that's what you said the first time. Go back to the drawing board, I insist you do."

"You haven't even heard the changes yet! Now, who's being unfair?" Jeremy said.

"Answer this one question: Does the marabunta have autonomy of any kind?"

Jeremy sighed, "Slightly, yes. But it's necessary to its function to acclimate to the new rules of Lyoko."

"What you need to do is extrapolate data from Lyoko's changes in variables that we can largely see, make a temporal file that acts a testing ground, and implement the protocol there to see its effect. Test it out for bugs." The buss was felt to slow, "Oh good, we're here."

Aelita looked out her window and beheld a beautiful campus. It was like Kadic in most respects of architecture. Still, where Kadic had a somewhat rougher façade and drab colors, Mercier was made of masterfully laid precision-cut white marble blocks intermixed with black marble of the same precision. Aelita was struck by how the building seemed to be in a unique striped pattern. A pattern was that of a white horizontal wrap-around at the base, black on top of the base stripe in a similar wrap-around, topped by an additional layer of white, culminating in being topped with a roof of jet-black shingles.

As Aelita looked closer, she saw several stretches of solar panels on top of the massive roof. As her gaze passed over the building, taking it in, she saw the windows to be nearly immaculately clean. The last remnants of the setting sun glinted beautifully off the pristinely clean glass, so much, so it almost hurt Aelita's eyes to observe this effect.

The bus doors opened, and the children saw a tall young man come on board. He was around nineteen or so by all appearances, dressed in a black uniform. The pants of this uniform, Jeremy noticed, were perfectly creased directly aligned with the tongues of the mirror-like black leather shoes on his feet. His blazer was ironed straight, not a wrinkle to be seen; the silver buttons that secured his blazer were as immaculately shined as the building's windows outside.

The young man's hair was black and combed straight back, his eyes a cold steel-blue seemed to scan the children one by one, seat by seat. He was silent for all of two minutes, and then he spoke.

"Welcome to Mercier. My name is Jeremy Cooke. As soon as you get off this bus, you will head towards the left or right; women on the left, men on the right. Once you are fully disembarked, you will be given your room of assignment in the form of a file. You will be led to the appropriate dormitory buildings by your matron or your patron, respectively."

Jeremy raised his left hand and snapped his fingers once; the snap's volume was shockingly loud, and some children blinked in response. A woman was seen to come up the steps and stand beside Jeremy. She appeared roughly the same age, dressed almost the exact same as he. Except for her color of suit was white with gold buttons. Where he had black leather shoes, she had white leather shoes with a two-inch heel. His black pants were countered by her dress, which was cut directly below the knee. Her hair was slightly curled and of a deep brown, her eyes almost honey-like to those close enough to see them.

She spoke, her voice, soft but authoritative, "My name is Genevieve Haza. I am the head matron of the women's dormitory. Mons. Cooke is the head patron and orderly of the men's dorm. As you may have questions, please make a note of our dress and that these uniforms are worn by those of us designated to direct, instruct, and correct students in behavior or clarity while here. You all will receive a grand debrief in full upon your first assembly tomorrow at ten o'clock in the morning."

Genevieve looked over the girls, and for the first time, Aelita felt somewhat apprehensive. This was Mercier, and already, she felt as if she'd gone truly into another realm of standards.

"Alright." Genevieve said, "Front to back, dismiss row by row, and I trust you can find your left and right designations."

The students were somewhat stunned at this degree of formality as if stuck in place.

Genevieve was heard to sigh before saying, "Is there an issue? Get off, get in line, and we will proceed."

The students began to disembark, and Aelita whispered to Jeremy, "I think you were slightly right to be worried for Ulrich. Did you know it was like this?"

Jeremy looked at her with a smile, "I said I wanted to be realistic, didn't I?"

Aelita rolled her eyes, thinking, _"Oh, great. A school run by a legion of little Jeremies. This year is going to be—awfully long. But then, if this is to be any indication of normal, I'm terrified for Odd."_

Aelita and Jeremy departed, and once in their appropriate lines, they waited for the rest of the bus to get off. Genevieve looked over the line of girls in her charge with the final batch getting off and said, "Turn left and head down the path behind you towards the dorm."

The girls turned and headed down the path, and as Aelita followed in the line, she was amazed at the almost manicured layout of the campus. The walkways, heck, the sidewalks, to be more accurate, were swept to an unprecedented degree as there was not a speck of dust anywhere. The grass around the walk was just slightly tall, not overgrown, tall. The trees on either side of the sidewalk were perfectly spaced six feet between each tree and each tree type separated by a line of six trees of the same kind.

As Aelita could see, the trees were mostly apple but of unique varieties, some of them being obvious imported species. Among them were pink pearl, goldspur, Birgit Bonnier, Wealthy Apples, among others. It was a nice bit of organization.

When Aelita and the rest of the girls eventually caught a glimpse of the dormitory for them, they were amazed. It was bigger than the entirety of the dorm building of Kadic and as nearly clean as what Aelita thought was the main building.

Genevieve stopped the group, standing before the tall white doors, and said, "You have your files and folders for your room. The quadrants are divided A through E by floor for ease of navigation, so A is at base level going higher in the alphabet by floor. Your belongings have already proceeded you in arrival and are ready for you to unpack.

My fellow matrons and I are here to help you with what needs you may require to move and adjust to your situation. If you have petty squabbles, we will resolve them, and the verdict will be final. If you wish to appeal our rulings, you may speak to the headmistress in the main building. Alright, dismissed."

Genevieve stepped aside, and the doors of the dormitory opened. The girls headed inside, and they were amazed at what they beheld. Aelita looked over the interior of just the main hall. It reminded her of an exceptionally cleaned up version of an old mental-health facility from modern medicine's more primordial days. It wasn't ugly, far from it. It merely had a more aged elegance but all the same, felt relatively uniform, almost sterilized of any individuality.

Aelita looked at her file, C-5, and found an elevator nearby, but it was already crowded, so Aelita headed up the primary stairs in the lobby heading up the spiral until she came in time to the third floor. She walked down the hall, which was very sparsely populated to C-5, and once there, she knocked.

"Come in." a voice said from inside.

Aelita turned the knob, and she entered and saw a tall and thin young woman with light blonde hair and bright blue eyes looking at her from a desk set up in the upper right-hand corner of the room.

The girl got up and, walking over to Aelita, said, "Welcome. You're Stones, I take it?"

Aelita nodded, "Yes, Aelita's my actual name."

"Hmph," The girl replied with a smile, "that's doesn't quite matter here. You're your surname until addressed otherwise. Sorry, I didn't make the rules."

"You serious?" Aelita asked.

The girl winced, "Kinda,' yeah. But that's alright." She extended her hand, "Melanie, Melanie Havisham."

Aelita shook her hand, "So, what's the situation like here?"

"Clarify what you mean by the situation," Melanie asked.

Aelita's eyes went wide, "Are you seriously going to talk like that?"

"I'm breaking you into the traditional course of questions asked by a teacher when you ask a question in their class. So yes, I am. Yes, they are going in this fashion, and yes, this is the norm."

Aelita was surprised, "Uh, mind if I ask _why_ this is the norm?"

"It is the insistence of the academy that you think about your responses before you respond. Is it worth your time, why is it worth your time, will the person listen to reason? If not, do not respond. Silence is not a weakness, but a hot temper and a loudmouth is a mark of idiocy and a lack of patience."

Aelita was amazed at this point-blank presentation from a woman who, in Aelita's estimation, may as well have been a robot, given how entirely spoken the answer was.

"Are you ever not in an academic setting?" Aelita asked, "I'm asking you as a person, not generally."

"I have to be prepared, as you must be. Equally, I have time to relax when I make time _if_ I have it in some situations."

Aelita nodded, "Well, okay. So, how are we divvying up the room?"

"Already done. I've claimed the right side—closest to the window and the subsequent fire-escape for more clandestine nocturnal activities away from the censors. The armoire is already made ready for you. I've placed a small divide directly down the middle of most of the drawers. Apart from that, the dresser," she gestured behind her towards a dark walnut dresser near the window, "is split between us with you having left and I right."

Aelita nodded, "And the bedding? Same?"

"No. Unlike Kadic before you, we are made to share a bed, albeit with a sideboard to divide us. I mean, in my personal opinion, I'd think it best if they just gave us Ricky and Lucy Beds for all intents and purposes. But, again, didn't make the rules."

"Ricky and Lucy beds?" Aelita asked.

"Never mind. The whole point of this is we have a queen-sized bed. All dorms have this feature, one of the reasons the buildings were made this big. Additionally, it is to enforce a form of cleanliness and responsibility standard between us.

This is usually achieved in the form of shift where one of us will clean the sheets, the other made the bed, a week later, we change over. Also, there are traditional standards of cleanliness regarding clutter and the standard fare."

Aelita looked at her, "I find it funny how you're giving me an exposition dump as we would say about this place's ins and outs."

Melanie looked at her, her smile fading, "Would you prefer I let you learn the hard way? I mean, I could. I could say to the matrons, I attempted to explain, but you would not hear what I had to say. I could do that if you wish."

Aelita shook her head, "It's a joke! My gosh, why is everyone in my life so serious? Can you not take a joke?"

"Do you want my help or not? Put it this way, you listen to the so-called exposition dump, you get to skip out on the long lecture by the headmistress."

"How much longer is the infomercial you're giving me?" Aelita said with a sideways smile.

"Half an hour."

Aelita gasped, "How long is the headmistress's lecture?"

"_Two_ hours." Melanie said with a wolfish grin, showing some magnificent teeth, "You're going to have to listen to her if you don't listen to me. That's right. I have all the answers you need, right here." She tapped her forehead twice.

"Two hours?! How does the headmistress expect us to sit still that long?" Aelita asked.

"It's a lot like Ms. Hertz back at Kadic. You're expected to shut up while she bores you to her will. The headmistress is worse though; her voice is the closest I think man has come to vocal chloroform by way of natural genetics."

Aelita asked, "You were at Kadic? I never saw you there."

"I didn't see _you_ there, doesn't mean I didn't go. Equally, I have been stalled here due to remedial mandate."

"You're a remedial student?" Aelita asked.

"You look surprised," Melanie said as she walked back towards her desk.

"You don't seem the type, forgive me."

"What does the type mean?"

"I mean no disrespect, but you don't look like you have a devil-may-care attitude."

"You don't look like you could dumbfound a few teachers with several university-standard advanced elements of mathematical understanding and _know_ that they mean, but here we are." Melanie retorted, "No disrespect, of course."

"How did you know about that?" Aelita asked a bit unnerved.

"Oh, Aelita, there are quite a few things I know. But to answer your question, I was told by my matron I would be housed with a brain box. So, for me, in anticipation of your arrival, I did my homework. It's easier also when you have a relation with access to Kadic's bureaucratic records to get a more accurate picture."

Aelita sat down on the bed, "At least the bed is far more comfortable than the Swedish racks that Kadic had."

Melanie nodded, "Yeah, that's a common consensus. The food's better to. I mean, it should be, we grow it."

Aelita paused, "You—you what?"

"We grow our own food. You don't grow your food, don't watch over it, take care of your plants, you don't eat. Simple."

"Why are we growing our—"

"The short answer is responsibility. Accountability in a way for our actions that is viably measured. The better care of our plants that is evident, the better portions we get. The more produce we generate, we can sell for a tidy sum of "student petty cash." That is why relief packages from home, which were something of a standard for Kadic, are nullified here unless in extreme circumstances."

"Student petty cash. So we make our own money? The faculty gets nothing?"

"Oh, sweetie, no. The Faculty? Hell no. The Institution, a small portion. The seeds for the plants are dirt cheap. You can grow a hearty tomato plant in one of the greenhouses, get those plant's fruits, sell them at the market for pure profit for you. All you must do is write down what you earned from the market, and at the bare minimum, you'll be asked for a fee to get more seeds. The rest is yours."

"How much money do you make?" Aelita asked.

"Oh, that's easy for me. I grow tomato plants for a bulk of the financial heavy-lifting for larger projects. I grow pumpkins and rhubarb, and a blueberry bush. From the tomato profit, I buy the makings for pie crusts. I make pies from the fruits and sell for maximum profit either at the market or directly to our school. So, at most, I'd make roughly fifty at minimum to two-hundred euros in a week on a hot streak. That's rare, though; my average is about one-hundred-fifty per week."

Aelita nodded as she thought to herself, "_Man, this is kinda' crazy. Grow your own food, or you don't eat. But you can make money if you sell your produce."_

"Oh, Melanie, I have a question. You mentioned clandestine nocturnal activities; what does that mean? Like, okay, what I mean is, is there anything a friend and I have to look out for if we want to be free birds?"

Melanie laughed and lay on her side of the bed, "There's a lot to go over. Hold on." She kicked her legs up and stretched them with a free arm until Aelita heard a pop, which made her wince.

Melanie then quickly stood up and said, "Come with me. I'll show you the ins and outs."

Melanie opened the large window, and she exited out on what seemed to be a tiny catwalk. Aelita followed cautiously, and Melanie whispered, "Now, we're going up the fire-escape to the roof. A good thing to keep in mind is most people are asleep promptly at half-past ten. The earliest riser wakes at midnight, but that's on the other side of the dorm. The reason I say this is because the fire escape is kind of creaky, and it takes time to learn the squeaks and squeals. It's kind of like a boyfriend learning his way around your pleasure map for stealth sex, so to speak. So, follow my lead as best you can."

Aelita watched as Melanie moved up the escape skipping the first three steps with a massive stride made capable by a pair of long legs and using the railing to hold her weight as she moved entirely to the fourth stair.

"The first stair is alright." Melanie whispered, "the next two squeak like hell."

Aelita nodded, and standing on the first step, she stretched her leg to the fourth stair and pulled up. Melanie nodded, and she then headed up the escape, two steps being skipped and standing on the third step and stretching up to two more to another.

Aelita followed suit, and once on the same step, Melanie whispered, "Now, see the ladder here?" gesturing to a ladder barely illuminated by the sun's last rays, "This ladder is a straight shot to the roof. However, use this only when you know someone's along this walkway." She gestured to the walkway that led to a small door just at the ladder's base. "Not many people think to check it. But remember, if you are on the ladder, pull yourself and set your foot on every other wrung. Because too many rungs cause vibration, and some awful squeaks can be heard. Watch me and follow."

Melanie moved up the ladder in a mixture of pullups and gentle placement on the ladder, and soon she was on the roof. She gestured for Aelita to follow, and Aelita tried to follow the girl's lead and found that Melanie had a great deal more strength in her arms than her lithe frame would suggest.

Once Aelita was on the roof, Melanie replied, "No worries. It just takes practice. Now, look out here." Aelita looked where Melanie pointed and saw a few patches of gathered white lights, "Those are the greenhouses. That's where a lot of student planting takes place in more controlled conditions for specific plants. Over on the patch, a bit beyond lit by a yellow light, is the commune garden meaning that this is where entry students, which you are, will get accustomed to planting and so forth.

Now, in just a bit, you will see the lights go on at the extremely far edge of the grounds. To clear the academy's entire grounds at a good run takes ten minutes for our best track people. For you, it would probably be fifteen, maybe eighteen if lucky. The distance is a straight, albeit hilly mile from the dorms alone to the outer wall.

There are pressurized sensors around the primary gate, and they will go off if triggered. They have a range of fifty feet in either direction along the wall, with a width detection of the same fifty feet. So your entire method is to literally aim for the oak tree on the other side of the wall, but you can see it. On the side of the boys' dorm, you seek for the silver-maple. Those are your marks. Once you scale the wall, you can meet down the range of the road and be out of detection.

However, despite how I say this, I would not advise any nocturnal escapades until _at least _three to four weeks into the semester, especially with the likes of Jackboot Jeremy and his crew. Genevieve is not as bad as far as head matrons go. But, don't take her kindness for weakness. If she senses you're brown-nosing or buttering her up, she will clamp down on you. Don't let her gentleness fool you; she's ruthless as hell."

"Good to know. Let me ask how bad is Jackboot and Genny by extension?"

"Pretty bad, in the first few weeks. Bed check every hour; headcount before bed; headcount at six upon waking. It's not great."

Internally Aelita groaned, thinking, "_Why?! Why, Jeremy! I wanted relaxation, not a militant school." _Aelita then asked, "How are far are we from the city proper?"

"From the wall, fifteen miles. You'll have to really book it if you want to get there on foot and make it before bed check. The usual way around that is to get some wheels. But as I said, wait a month until you're acclimated. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"How bad are repercussions caught?" Aelita asked.

"Pretty steep. The first offense is that you are given a suspension, and all money you've gained is garnished by the school. Second offense, you're expelled with no financial refund to your parents, and all grant money is claimed by the institution. So, there's that."

Aelita nodded, "It's peaceful here, though."

"Yeah, it's quiet. Relaxed. Kinda' what makes the elitist assholes bearable. Come on, let's get back to the room. Only a bit of time before lights out, and we have to get you sorted."

Aelita watched Melanie descend, and she thought, "_This place will take an adjustment, but this girl isn't bad."_

Back at North-Gate's facility, Sylvia had finished her battery of tests for what she needed most for her vanguards of assault. She patched into her implant, "Yolanda, report station three. I have something you need to see."

A short moment later, Yolanda entered the station, "Yes?"

"Sister is moved, correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Come here."

Yolanda was hesitant, and Sylvia seeing this said, "Yolanda, I'm not going to bite; come here."

Yolanda approached, and Sylvia asked, "Do you remember our friends the Kalistorian Council?"

"Oh yes, how could I forget them?"

"I put a program through, and its results are finished." Sylvia turned and faced Yolanda, "I know we have had more than our share of differences. But I assure you, your pain, sacrifices, inconveniences, they've paid off."

Sylvia pressed a button on a table, and a small canister popped up from the table. Sylvia removed the canister, opening it, she took out a small vial. She then said, "This is the Kalistorian Protein Veta-VI. If you choose to take it, you will have your body acclimated to the protein, and from that, you will have the closest we can have to a healing factor."

Yolanda's eyes went wide, "A healing factor? How much will I be healed, and how much damage can I take?"

"Combat is a factor, but in the heat of legitimate combat, the protein kicks in, and it not only heals you from damage passively but every attack you experience you will gain an active resistance to. So, if I were to blast you with raw voltage, the next time I did so, you wouldn't be nearly as negatively impacted, and the more the same weapon or tool is used on you, the more the protein anticipates the damage and the faster your healing can begin and be finished.

So, it's literally an adaptive healing factor. Your body acts as the form of an antenna. Everything you experience in terms of negative feedback will be remedied by the protein building, a passive aspect of directed general healing, and active resistance, and accelerated healing in response to constants in combat. Additionally, it's genetic, so if you have children, this will be passed on."

"What if faced with the aspects of ballistic weapons?" Yolanda asked.

"You will heal relatively quickly from the most grievous wounds at the same time, with ballistics as the factor kicks in, think of it as going into a form of high-function adrenaline. Equally, with the training I will give you in the form of meditation, you will ignore most of the conventional pain. So, literally, you will be a combative powerhouse while having a factor to keep you healed and healing while you can fight with the best of them.

Additionally, all North-Gate members are undergoing appropriate field training to get in and out of high-security areas. Even though you bring up bullets to see how you are impacted, we are not Wolverine, so don't get too zealous your testing of its limitations. However, you will be trained on how to silently disarm enemies non-lethally and take advantage of the various dependencies of this particular world."

Yolanda was now curious, "Such as?"

"Have you ever heard of the invisible man?"

"The H.G. Wells madman? Of course. Why?"

"I've figured a way to make you and every one of us invisible men. It was effortless, really. But before I go into that, you need to understand as much as I simplified a lot of the protein's healing factor powers and attributes, you can't fool sentient biological receptor. So, what I mean is, until you actively enter a hostile combat situation, you won't know entirely how this protein works. But, I can assure you, you aren't the test dummy as you were with the implant.

Look, I know you're likely still steamed about that, I don't care. Okay? I really do not. Why? Because of your disadvantage and weakness and vulnerabilities therein benefit so many people apart from just me, people whose lives sadly depend on someone being the raw human guinea-pig component.

Just like you told Terry, we all laced our boots in the trenches. Well, congratulations. You're no longer in the trenches; you're on bombardment detail."

"It's not that I hate you for using me in the regard you did; it's that way that you did so. I understand your motivations, I do. But it just greatly concerns me that you didn't even ask me. You must realize, Sylvia-Anna, that just because you have a great understanding of human psychology, you are surrounded by irony. The irony is that you know these drawbacks of what you do for all your knowledge, and you go ahead with it anyway.

Do you have so little love or regard for your own people that you literally would see them as no different than the bonobo? Because there is a difference between efficient and practical versus uncaring practicality. For all you preach on the grounds of respect for choices, you don't really believe in that mantra, do you?!

I'm just one example that's survived this long. But how many came before me? Tell me, how many did you blatantly destroy for the sake of advancement and so-called progression? You said out your own mouth that you didn't care about my pain because of others' benefit. So, sadly I know the answer to my own question. The answer being, probably too many lives to even count."

Sylvia was silent all throughout this massive rebuttal. A rebuttal that had stored and been nurtured.

She knew this was to be, that it would come eventually. After two minutes of silence, Sylvia took a breath and spoke, "Do you not think that I don't know what I do? I know what I do. Equally, I take my chances and risks, and I learn from my errors as any sensible human being. You must understand, I am trying. It's not as if I'm not. Why don't I care? Because someone had to be the guinea-pig and until such time as I could find one who merited this treatment of which you were given, you were the prime focus because there were none, until recently, who were found worthy of such a treatment.

It is not out of maliciousness towards you that I did as I did. I emphasize that. Rather that it was better you didn't know because I knew this would be your reaction. But why? Because you were the principal ground unit and because of your biological age and resilience of body as a result, you were my first choice instead of Jean-Pierre.

Because considering his age, Jean-Pierre's heart would not have been up to the task had he been compromised a second time before your test phase. Studying Yumi as I did in addition to your notes and those more trivial cases such as Amelia Solovief later on, a natural result of XANA's possession was that of enhanced cardio-related stress in addition to powerful bursts of adrenaline and dopamine specifically. Think of it as being on a caffeine high for six hours and not having slept for ten and a half hours; it wouldn't have been good.

It was because of your physical resilience and direct exposure on overall proximity to XANA's capabilities that made you a very logical choice. That said, because of your exposure, I could successfully adjust not only your implant but also Jean-Pierre's to minimize the effects of XANA's possession. That said, I never could prevent his control of you, even with the implant, I could only reduce the damage of his presence within you.

Had I told you that you were required to be a test unit, that would have blown your own cover, which we worked hard to establish. So, ignorance is bliss for situational convenience, Equally, because you didn't know you were being monitored, we could measure XANA's impact unencumbered and unfettered."

"And the Zombie scenario? What was that then? I was compromised there as well." Yolanda asked.

"As I just said, I couldn't negate his presence from being impacted on you. Admittedly though, it was interesting to see. Why? Because if you noticed up until such time, he had not implemented what I'd call powered possession. Meaning his attacks were up until then primarily contained to generalized broad-stroke effects.

The zombie scenario was interesting because he demonstrated his capability to make the most of a weaponized virus on the biological level. Equally, XANA had shown his ability to possess the dog belonging to Della-Robbia. He had graduated from insectoids to canine units. It was admittedly a troubling development. After the event, I anticipated another graduation toward dominance over the human mind.

I didn't' have to wait long. It was just a bit of time after that I realized XANA had seized control of Jean-Pierre. That is why I implanted your test phase; if you went down, I couldn't guarantee operational success. So, I opened the implant to XANA to trap him and trace him equally. Yes, you were opened up to possession, I'd admit it was encouraged on my part.

You may not have noticed, but with the XANA zombie virus's biological biome within you, even though you were reset by the return to the past, the virus was rendered static but not killed. So, using that very basis, I knew your biological components were compromised, and when you went to check-in a few days after the zombie effect, acting on my hunch, I took samples of your blood.

I tested the blood with various stimuli. Once done, I calibrated everything to the implant. By opening you up to XANA, I got a lock on his programs and installed an anti-virus derived from his own source code that was adaptive to his further situations. You were safeguarded from a lot of other things.

Jean-Pierre, however, I had to give resistance to in a different way. I negated the memory block from the return to the past for the one time he went too far, even for our operational standard under XANA's control. You know, the one where the cops were called in? So, yeah, had to take care of that, in the traditional sense. Thankfully, it was only that one time."

Yolanda nodded, "So, you do have motivations, you do have a larger goal. But for us, you'd prefer we'd stay ignorant."

"As I have said to you, this desired ignorance is not out of maliciousness or spite. Instead, it is for the safeguarding of your own peace of mind in a way. Just as you had some drawbacks, so did Jean-Pierre, and XANA's demonstration of his power through him helped reinforce a theory I had in terms of raw abilities given to the possessed. You were the verification of several of those applications of that theory.

But all trials bring their compensations. After Jean-Pierre's violent exposure on his first rodeo, I received a plethora of detailed data. Using his readings, we have advanced several protocols of both efficiency and sustainability for our elder units as well as a perfection of range on the implant's ability to remotely control various vehicles and other technological applications to just name a few."

Yolanda nodded, "And this protein you offer me, this healing factor. Who was the test subject for that?"

"I assure you; it is someone that _deserves _such a degree of testing. It is not that I do not learn from my past errors, but sometimes, I do not have the proper resources, and I must make do. Whatever I did to you, understand, it really wasn't personal; it was just a matter of making the most of what I had at my disposal."

"How do you equate your mother's treatment by extension? How does that factor into your realm of judgment?"

Sylvia was silent, and Yolanda saw she had hit a nerve. Sylvia sighed and replied, "I can't answer that. Not with any degree of fairness or impartiality. As a respected foe once said, "that would be for a judge to decide."

Yolanda looked at her, contemplating all that had transpired in the past and all that had been said. Yolanda struggled with a lot of things regarding Sylvia's choices. But she'd be blind to ignore what was before her. To see the effort to explain things as fairly as possible.

With all of this in mind, Yolanda said, "Sylvia, look at me. You're a good person, and I get where you come from. You've indeed grown to be a well-thought-out person, giving thought to your actions. I know life has not been easy for you. Hell, it hasn't been fair, not at all. But that does not mean it's been easy for the rest of us. I understand where you come from, though.

I know you may not like me or even care what I say, but I just want you to respect us with the same view of respect that you wish to give to tomorrow's society. The same courtesy of consideration. Because if you can't even give respect to the choices of your own soldiers to question or be angry, regardless of knowing your standard or not, how can you be expected to govern fairly over masses of people?"

Sylvia thought a moment and replied, "I will answer your question if you can answer mine: Why do you insist on knowing everything that goes on? Why can't you just follow orders? If I tell you it's for the sake of your brothers and sisters and the good the people, even though they may not exactly care for it, why is that not good enough for you?"

Yolanda replied, "I love you, and so out of my love for you, I will tell you. I can't. Because as soon as I do, obeying without question, we become no better than the fallen butchers of the so-called master-race. I understand you may not like always explaining, but it's needed. If I were to obey you without question, I would be shoveling my sense, my humanity, my conscience into the earth. And I cannot do that. Not for you, as much as I love you. Because you are not God. You are highly intelligent, a true genius. But not even for you would I blindly obey."

Sylvia smiled as if a wave of peace had swept over her entire being, "Thank you, Yolanda." She said softly as if she were whispering from the pit of her being, "Thank you." She opened her eyes, and for the first time, Yolanda saw no neutrality, no rage, no coldness, nothing of that kind. She saw warmth, happiness, dare she say it, relief.

"You are now in charge of civilian relations." Sylvia said, "Congratulations. The protein is there for you if you want it." Sylvia turned and began to walk away.

Yolanda was stunned, nearly breathless. She had been given the third-highest rank of all possible forms of the soon-to-be government. "Why are you doing this?" Yolanda asked.

Sylvia stopped, turned, and looked back, "Because you have the strength to say what none will say. You are fair, and yet you are firm. You are gentle and yet powerful. You said what was needed, knowing you would likely die—but you said it anyway. Well done, my esteemed soldier. Carry on."

Sylvia disappeared into the building's darkness, and Yolanda, taking the vial of protein, considering all that had just happened, looked at the vial. A majestic red fluid, not entirely as black as blood but bright enough to have its own distinct boldness.

Yolanda took a breath, popped the vial's cork, and drank. The liquid was amazingly sweet and yet an undercurrent of sharpness of almost a metallic taste. Yolanda winced, grimacing at the aftertaste as it hit her, a taste that was remarkably bitter, reminiscent of an unripe persimmon Yolanda had when she was twelve.

Suddenly, she felt a tingling in her body all throughout. It was not uncomfortable; it was cold and invigoratingly bold. As if standing naked on the Alps' very heights after ascending from the humid hell of a Bordeaux summer. It was magnificent. Yolanda noticed a peace of mind she had never experienced before, and as she exhaled, she felt as if all the pressures and monotony of her work over the past few years had begun to melt away.

Yolanda returned to her familiar feeling, and she looked around. To her amazement, her eyesight had improved. She could read the sign on the far-off wall with perfect clarity, and this was at a distance of two hundred feet. She was amazed, to say the least.

"She was actually telling the truth," Yolanda said to herself in the room's silence. "Well, give her a second chance. We all deserve at least one of those." Yolanda said to herself as she headed up the stairs.


	63. Chapter 63

_**AN: This chapter could not have come to be without the help of God. I was literally so frustrated with a whole bunch of things in addition to trying to find my muse. And so, after a good portion of time had passed with all the ranting, raving, teeth-gnashing, I am elated and proud to say that God has taken the wheel on this one, having completed a majority of this chapter in one afternoon. Personally, I couldn't be happier with the results. **_

_**Also, I do have a nod to Team Four Star for the Hellsing Abridged quote. It felt so pertinent to the situation, it was too good to pass up. I own no rights, and all right belong to the holders therein.  
**_

_**So, I hope you all enjoy this work, I hope you review, and above all, enjoy. I hope to see you all next chapter.  
**_

_**Love,**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 63

Sylvia pressed her hand against the scanner, and soon a light hum emanated from within, signaling her allowance for entry. The door opened, and Sylvia entered the beautiful halls. The neutral tone of the surrounding light, which shined from small nearby pedestals, was soothing. So very much it reminded her of home, her past, and, most importantly, her pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. 

The room's energy was a vast improvement over what she'd come to call 'the veil of shadow.' The veil of shadow, while powerful, Sylvia had learned, was immensely corrupting. But at the same time, this observation was only possible through her own maturation and growth. The veil had proven itself to be a most formidable tool and weapon against those who Sylvia had first raised arms. But even though it had breathtaking potential and, in her hands, was a viable form of power, Sylvia knew that to have the veil's energy, to persist in its uses, would only ensure her destruction. 

That was why Sylvia dedicated herself to understanding what she would, in time, call the energy equation. For her, the entire world was that of energy, ebbs, and flows, good and evil, the dictation of each was derived solely from the caster's intent. Equally, this reason was why she never truly feared death. For Sylvia, the body was merely the envelope. There was more to her method of madness in her actions with the body than it would have appeared. 

The energy equation was what she was after, the very signature of the soul. From this attempt and her own failure therein, Sylvia more than had confirmation of her former suspicions, and from that, she knew the intrinsic values of the world she now occupied. Equally, knowing this, Sylvia knew the world's sad truth, for it was a simple law of exchange. But equally, underlying all the functioning of things on earth, its interactions, and all therein, it all boiled down to individual choice once more. 

This underlying factor of choice, this simple premise, was what unified the universe. The choices of all were respected. That was the one constant, at least on a societal level. Sylvia equally, had made her own choice. She had left the ways of the darker uses of energy;. In contrast, energy could be used for attack; Sylvia believed that the powers of that made of the veil of shadow could be truly harnessed to master the body's healing, its mending as opposed to just its destruction. 

From this, Sylvia had dedicated herself to studying these energies and seeing just what she could do to emphasize the preservation of life. The answer was simple, she had to choose to seek out this knowledge for it was always there, but it had to be sought out.

In many ways, Sylvia had grown in ways that her teammates would never see. She had more than learned to value others' choices, even the dissenting views of her teammates. Equally, she had learned from the tragic case of one of her favorite characters of literature, Javert. It wasn't that Javert was inherently wrong. But like Sylvia, he had been far too much of an absolutist; even Sylvia could see that. There was no issue of loving law and order; what was dangerous was when you disallowed any avenue of change. When you became so black and white, lacking in compassion, you become little more than a machine. This inherent indifference, a lack of compassion, regardless of time or actions, grieved Sylvia most about Javert. Equally, it was for this same reason that Sylvia never would allow North-Gate to function without a human component of oversight. 

Sylvia more than knew the dangers inherent in North-Gate. She had fought with the beast therein. She had found she'd much rather fight humans. For as vile and horrid, and devious as humans could be, Sylvia found that to let North-Gate loose on the world unfettered, it would be a simple death sentence. She knew North-Gate would carry out its objectives by any means necessary. 

As much as Sylvia didn't care for their duplicity, humans had compassion and dark as they could be, even the darkest had a bizarre set of standards. North-Gate had no such weaknesses. It was programmed to keep order and act harshly if necessary, but without a human component, the program and people were doomed by extension. For even if it had scanned Sylvia's brainwaves, it would only be mimicking her, having no actual depth of emotion. What was worse, in the battles Sylvia tested against the North-Gate program, she saw just how genuinely relentless the machine could be.

In many ways, Sylvia knew the old move _Terminator _was sadly very correct. Reese's declaration of anger and pain was more than accurate. _"You still don't get it, do you? He'll find her. That's what he does! That's __**all**__ he does!____You can't stop him!" _North-Gate was no different. Without a human component to keep order, the machine would be merciless. Not only that but as Sylvia learned, it was _highly_ adaptive.

A tactic may work once, twice, maybe even three times, but after that third time, the pattern was memorized, the strengths of the enemies studied, and from that, the machine would converge all units on the enemy and wipe them out with lethal efficiency. However, apart from the device, Sylvia had made a contingency plan in a small notebook. She'd kept this book in the traditional format, even going so far as to write it in a room without microphones or cameras, and she'd had it stored entirely off-sight.

Only Terry and Yolanda knew the location of this book, and in the event Sylvia had become indeed compromised, she'd given orders to Terry, "_Everything you need to know is in that book. All of you are study it as you learn your Bible. For if I am ever compromised, you cannot trust North-Gate to carry on without me. No matter how appealing It may seem, __**never **__give North-Gate any autonomy apart from bureaucratic formality. Even then, double-check it."_

Sylvia knew the truth, no matter how powerful an anti-virus or boot nuke may be, North-Gate by design was of a different breed. In many ways, North-Gate, while Sylvia had made many innovations, North-Gate was a monster of her own making. What's more, Sylvia knew as a parent does with a child, you may love a child, it doesn't mean you can't stop them, forever if need be, for the sake of all mankind. Sylvia knew that North-Gate, no matter how advanced, was never a proper match for the human brain, especially if that brain was dedicated to saving the world.

Was Sylvia proud of the monster she helped give form to? It was hard for even for her to answer. For Sylvia, North-Gate was designed out of a dark time from its very birth. Her own adjustments were made from either anger or outright wrath at some aspects of what she observed to be the human condition. Was she right in what she implemented? Even she knew, not always. That said, the truth of altering North-Gate's operational manual and protocols was it was very distinct.

Every command, protocol, contingency she installed, she couldn't take lightly. It was much akin to the old aspects of the kings, specifically the Medes. A decree, once made by the king and sealed with his ring, could not be revoked. Why was this done? It was to ensure a locked choice. It was to make sure the maker of choice understood the avenues by which they made their decisions and your ability to live with those decisions, forever etched into the programming. It was to teach how to make legislation and do so wisely. 

Despite this, Sylvia didn't learn the weight of her choices until she had made a wrong decision, one time too many. In a desperate attempt, she attempted to undo a few protocols, but the decisions were locked. However, if she genuinely wanted to start off brand new, Sylvia realized she had to scrub the North-Gate sever and literally reboot it. This was very costly to the North-Gate program and the patience of her team over time. It had taken Sylvia only a few reboots to realize the accurate weight of her reality. Every reboot drained years' worth of research and progress, and so from these losses, Sylvia understood; she could not attain her ideal of perfection. To have her vision met, she had to make sacrifices for herself and the freedoms of the people. 

Sylvia took a breath, and she sighed a long sigh as she sat upon the seal in the center of the room. There was a lot that she had to process, a lot that she'd had to let go and regretfully accept. As Sylvia looked upon the radiant crystal at the center of the wall ahead, she felt a spellbinding sense of calm. It was quite liberating to feel this way, released, and more at ease than she had been in the past. 

A footstep was announced at the room's entry, and Sylvia slowly opened her eyes and asked, "What is it, Terry?" 

"Am I interrupting?" Terry asked.

"No. How may I help you?"

"I received a notification from the Urals. Our communications relays have been established. Our network is now fully operational."

"That's good. Additionally, I should let you know that our calibration from back home is nearly completed for Monolith's transit. The ETA should be within four hours." 

"Wow, you really are pulling out all the stops. Why so much quicker than last time?"

"When the next action happens by protocol, we will need our most viable method of attack, troop mobility, and operational sustainability. That is why Monolith is on the way; it has many those needs already established." 

"I see—and will Mei Wong be there?"

"Of course. Her hand will be most vital when it comes to facing Decay's true strength. This next shock will most certainly flush them out; I am quite sure of that."

"But why do you deem Wong essential?"

"Because she is extremely innovative, especially when it comes to development in response to our enemies' innovations in the field. It's simple as that. So yes, Mei, Tong, Schaeffer, and Morgenstern will be on call as my chief professionals in their various fields. I suggest you learn to get along with them this time."

"You know I can barely stand Morgenstern; you know that!"

"I suggest you learn because you'll be on field detail with him at Materhorne. That's all to be said; Now, please leave."

Terry left, and Sylvia closed her eyes as she thought, "_It's all coming into fruition. It's as you told me when I was a girl, papa, that in the end, to do what is right, we must be steady."_ A smile formed on her face, "It'll be good to have the family back together again," she said to herself, "hopefully the seeds of the old rebellion are put to rest, and it wasn't too taxing." 

As Terry headed out, he patched into his implant and attempted to contact Yolanda, but to his surprise, his contact was restricted to Yolanda. Frankie, Enrique, Maria, and all others were easily contacted, but Yolanda was barred for the first time. 

He was surprised, "_Uh, how is this possible?" _Terry thought to himself. He switched communications to Maria, and he heard got through, "Hey Marie, did you know that the big guns are called in?" 

"_I did. You didn't know because you were on disciplinary relocation. But yeah, they're on the way."_

"Seems a bit much, you know? Considering everything hasn't even kicked off yet."

"_Yeah—about that—it'll kick off in four hours."_

"Wait, what?!" Terry asked in near shock, "She's going to use Monolith for the next phase?"

"_It's not out of reason. Simply put, Sylvia needs to start the next phase, and the program isn't specific on how the next phase is kicked off, just that it is." _

"But of all approaches, of every way she could go, she chooses this?! She can't be serious! She'll be raising flags all over the world! Besides, isn't Monolith our principle super-weapon anyway? She's showing her hand _far _too early."

"_Don't worry, Terry. She actually thought this out a long time before we even made landfall. All you need to do is maintain your position at Materhorne, and before you say anything, I already know the old man is going there."  
_

"The old man doesn't bother me so much; it's just—he's overly certain about a lot of things." 

"_With respect, Terry, the man is nearly ninety. You don't live that long without some skills and some knowledge. He may be overly certain, but still, as our mentor said, 'I'll likely forget more about this business than you'll ever learn.' So, bearing that in mind, respect his position but also, just play nice." _

"Alright, alright. So when can we expect this to go down? I mean, realistically, where is it going down and when?" 

"_It shouldn't matter. What do you have some stocks in the wings or some shit like that?"_

"Hey, what did you expect me to do? I had nothing but time to kill while pretending to be a normal person."

"_Aw, Terry! Come on! You're in the common market?! Did you at least use a dummy name and server? "  
_

"What do you think? I'm not that much a greenhorn, come on!"

An exasperated sigh was heard on the other end, "_Alright. Man, you would complicate this process, wouldn't you? Alright, what's the stock's name, and where's it held? I can probably negate your loss if you give me something to work with."  
_

"It's Golden Harvest Eco-Fuel out of Stockholm."

_"Alright. Well, congratulations, you're not affected anyway. So, sit tight. But for checking this stock, I want Three-Thousand Euros. It's the standard agent maintenance fee." _

"Maria, that's more than a quarter my last month's investment!"

"_I'm sorry, Terry. I must justify this to the server when the monthly summary comes in. 3,000 will help me literally justify it for "asset maintenance and wellbeing."_

"Can I at least get a bit of a bonus of some kind for the three-thousand I have to spend?"

"_I was going to do that anyway. What would you like specifically?" _

"Honestly, when Monolith finishes, do we still have our lab on that thing before I continue?" 

_"Oh, yes. Of course, with better elements as well. I mean the brain-monkeys as you call them, trust me, T, they've been swamped." _

"Doing their crazy innovations again, huh? Why am I not surprised?"

"_Oh, not crazy as you think. They've upgraded a lot of things. Trust me, you'll be able to see all of it when it comes back from the mission later tonight." _

"Alright. Well, just keep Mei away from me."

"_Aw, you're just pissed because she's better than you when it comes to well—pretty much everything."_

"Oh, thanks!" Terry said with a gritted grin. 

"Oh come on, give the woman her credit; she's a brilliant brain capable of all kinds of shit. I mean, sorry, Terry, she is better than you in physical science, infiltration, impromptu stories for covers, engineering—" 

"Alright! Alright!" Terry said and then replied, "But there's one thing she can't outdo me in."

"_And what would that be?" _

"You know very well," Terry replied, slightly vexed. 

"_I don't know, Ter. Rumor has it she has amazing skill with a dildo and especially her duration of pelvic thrusts and force to boot." _

"Oh, come on, now don't you think you're a tiny bit unfair?" 

"_How so?" _

"She's a woman. That's kind of unfair by default."

"_Yeah, yeah, I take your point there. Besides, even if Mei has the most state of the art equipment, she will not ever duplicate the pleasure most men feel in their penile members anyway. Sorry, I don't think technology will ever replace the real thing. That said, though, to quote one of the dark masters of satire the past age, 'If you are having a dick measuring contest with a girl, you started out with the world's cruelest handicap.' _

_So, angry as the woman makes you, never let her see you bleed because she will never let you live it down."_

"Oh, believe me, I am well aware of that little nugget of wisdom. Alright, well, I'll see the crew when they land tonight. Traditional hanger?"

"_No. Change of destination in anticipation of the retaliation and inevitable search."_

"Alright. Well, I guess there's nothing to do but sit and wait."

"_That's what a lot of us are doing."_

"Oh, by the way, have you been able to get hold of Londie?"

"_Not since this morning. But I've seen Londie walking around, so she's alright. I wonder if the implants are on the fritz. I'll ask Sylvia or do a manual inspection in just a bit."  
_

"Alright. Well, I'll be in touch. See you tonight."

Terry disconnected, and as he went back to his position at Materhorne, he thought, "_If what Marie says is true, there will definitely be fireworks tonight."_

Meanwhile, Yolanda was going through the various spectrums of civilian planning, particular to her new vocation. As she looked over the city's outline and its policies of inheritance, she found the details to be meticulously laid down. As Yolanda continued to read this, Yolanda's eyes strayed to the burnt umber folder nearby. She opened the burnt umber file, and she reread the policy for the use of Monolith. 

As she continued to read, she patched into her implant and went through to Sylvia, and upon knowing the feed was connected, she asked, "Are you absolutely sure of this measure?" 

"_Absolutely, believe me, it's what must be done. Don't worry, though. My moves are going to be of literally four hours apart. This is guaranteed through innovations to Monolith at large. See, when I started the project years ago, I thought to myself after some grueling and personally costly experiments; it was best to have an emphasis on speed, maneuverability, and above all, communications with all our cells and agents. After all, it's hard to stop a very mobile and adaptive unit."  
_

"I'm aware of that. But I need to be sure you're fully considering the targets you have in mind. Why the next transition phase and then target a refinery? Because I won't let you do the first one if you don't have a preservation plan in the wings."

"_Heidi, give me credit, eh? I wouldn't be so crass and cruel as to simply eliminate the next transition phase without consideration for select variables. However, to completely hammer home my point for what I need to do, I must strike Decay where it hurts most. The second phase of their educational structure is the point by and large. We have secured Kadic, this is true; however, Decay still owns so much of this region's comprehensive education.  
_

_So, if I am to hit them where it hurts, I must hit them in two very steady veins of both economic and doctrinal influence. Conveniently both locations, both targets, serve my purposes. One far more than the other equally in each situation. The refinery destroys a significant portion of their indoctrination process, at least for en-mass dissenters. Believe me, it's not that Decay is non-violent; their just cowards who hide their intentions behind civil facades. _

_Our educational target is the primary form of secondary income from them and doctrinal emphasis. The institution is strengthened by yearly taxes to support the institution from the financially well-endowed populace and private funding as it is a proper elite school. So, what better way to hit these bastards where it truly only hurts them, their wallets?"_

"I can truly see your point. Okay, I get it. But what of the actual outliers here? I mean, you're not going to just massacre them."

A laugh was heard on the other end, "_Oh, Yolanda, what kind of monster do you think I am? No, I'm not going to destroy those who don't deserve it, heavens no! I have changed, you know. Admittedly, I had considered locking the sons and daughters of our enemies in select areas to truly send a message, but then, are children truly deserving of being murdered for the father or mother's sins? No, I should think not."  
_

Yolanda listened and replied, "Alright, so how are we evacuating them?"

"_My timing is deliberate. In about ten minutes, the target will be boarding the busses to tout and promote the great promises of the future based on hard work and grit. So, that's all we'll need. They'll be out of our hair for the entirety of the operational window. All the way on the other side of the city as this is usually an all-day affair.  
_

_Our plants on campus will extract all pertinent information before Monolith arrives. Once they have cleared the zone, we wreck the institution's foundations through Monolith before moving to Chile for the second strike on the refinery. Equally, a great institution will be leveled. All faculty that remain that our plants observe will be taken and reprocessed per talent."  
_

"And should Monolith be compromised in battle by pedestrians trying to get a shot of it?"

_"Again, I've already considered that. I know the visual capabilities of all state-of-the-art cameras of both industrial, corporate, and civilian sectors. I have installed calibrated adaptive sensors to make it appear literally as negative feedback on the film. All cameras have a specific grade and registry; additionally, considering how the location is still a bit of a way away from the civilian sector, we have a good bit of time. However, upon jump into the feed and exit, are the only times when we risk genuine exposure, but we'll be gone before anyone knows we're there because of the traditional Eagle method."  
_

"Okay, very good, and when is this all scheduled to go down?"

"_It started ten minutes ago." _

Yolanda nodded, "So it truly begins."

"_Indeed, it has. Our vanguard supplies have landed from back home, and Frankie is almost back to base with it. Look at it, and all of you are to kit youselves need in terms of your desired field operational function."  
_

"Ah, so we are in-fact active duty? This is, as they say, it?" 

"_Correct. All North-Gate units and assets will go into active duty exactly at 4:00 p.m. Paris Time." _

"Understood, High-Commander," Yolanda replied. 

"_Excellent. Any other questions?" _

"No, ma'am."

"_Dismissed." _

Yolanda disconnected, and she looked outside at the early-morning sun, "God, be with us all." 

Sylvia disconnected on her own end, and she went to her personal command console, and she formed a direct link. Once it had been successfully established, she whispered, _"Wakey-Wakey boys and girls. Wakey-Wakey." _

In Chile, the whisper had been heard, and the refinery's advanced support units came online. The support units were designed by a former asset of Decay, the once highly esteemed _Virilux Industries. _However, after a few significant economic hits to the company, its overseeing CEO had committed suicide, not wishing to return to a life of poverty. That said, in the prime of the company, they had perfected advanced vanguard mechs that stood ten feet tall, armed to the teeth. Decay had made their own armament adjustments but had kept all major mainframe processes after allocating the employees from the fallen _Virilux. _

This more than served Sylvia's purposes as she had her own particular investments in _Varilux, _and while Decay's shell companies and financial backers in Wall-Street, Silicon Valley, Bogota, and parts of Dubai, had outbid her virtually in a heartbeat, Sylvia used this to plant her own people within the former company's engineers. This preparedness aided her in that now those vanguard units were under her command. The automaton soldiers hummed to life, calibrated their weapons, and began their march. 

In Paris, in the Ishiysama, household, a sharp ringing was heard from the telephone. A tone that was far sharper than usual. The members of the Ishiyama household looked at the phone in fascination. All, but one of them. Similarly, a few blocks over, the same ring went to Jean-Pierre's home telephone. He looked at the phone and heard its ring, and internally, his heart began to break. "_It's begun." _He thought, "_God, watch over us all."  
_

Meanwhile, Mercier students were headed to towards the various museums of science that Paris had to offer. Mercier had asked the students beforehand to fill out a form, and from this form, they were placed into their respective busses. Aelita and Jeremy were headed towards The City of Science and Industry while Ulrich and Yumi were headed towards the Museum of Natural History. 

For Ulrich's part, he did not care much for the forms and overall formality of Mercier. He was here half because his father insisted, he stick to what he was doing. His mother, being the peacekeeper she was, insisted he go to Mercier out of consideration she knew Yumi was there and the rest of his friends. But also, Yumi was his only reason for coming to Mercier, and so he decided he would do what he could to stay in his father's good graces and stay with the university. 

Ulrich looked over at Yumi, who was awfully quiet, far more than usual. He gently nudged her, "Hey, Yumi, are you feeling alright? You've been awfully quiet lately." 

"I'm okay." She replied with a bit of a sigh."

"No, no, you're not. You're hardly talking, you're just looking like you have something on your mind." 

"It's quite a few things. Mainly I'm just tired because I know what this upcoming year will be. Very hectic. Last year was rough, being the new girl there. You'll understand that soon enough. Believe me, I thought my mother was strict, this school is like a military school without the steadfast screaming." 

Ulrich noticed something was slightly off, Yumi vocabulary, "Steadfast screaming? Couldn't you just say without the screaming?"

"Your vocabulary will improve the longer you spend time here. Especially when you have a true grammar Nazi like my roommate. I didn't think Emily was this much a jerk, but she's proving more irritating than good company. For goodness sake, I'd rather deal with Sissi than deal with Emily and her anal behaviors."

"Oh, come on, don't wish the blight of Sissi upon yourself whatever you do. It's not that bad with Emily, is it?" 

"Oh, gee, Ulrich, I don't know. Maybe, when you consider that this: Emily is great as critiquing your written work but tries to insert her voice instead of your own. And when she nitpicks everyday conversation and when she has enough, she will scream, 'Stop abusing language.' So yeah, it can be quite bad. Additionally, now she's sexually awakened, well, you thought Odd was terrible with his promiscuity, I might as well just by her a short skirt and call her whore." 

"Promiscuity?" Ulrich asked, "Since when did you upgrade your vocabulary so much?"

Yumi rolled her eyes, "What would you call Odd's activities then?"

"Why the hell are you suddenly so critical of him? You weren't this way before."

"There's a lot of things I wasn't critical of out of the sake of the feelings and considerations of others. I'm just making a parallel to Emily's own tendencies and Odd's being tame by comparison. You're the one making a big deal out of this."

"Oh, come on! I'm the one making a big deal out of this? Seriously?!" Ulrich replied.

"Oye!" a voice roared from one of the black-uniformed upperclassmen nearest the driver, "What's going on here?!" He came over, his look nearly matching the look of Jeremy, whom Ulrich already had the displeasure of meeting. 

"Nothing's going on, Kevin." Yumi replied, "We're just having an argument, you know how couples are."

Kevin looked at Ulrich, who looked as if he were aged weathered leather in Ulrich's opinion. It was a look he was more than familiar with due to how his mothers with addicts in rehab. Even then, Kevin didn't look the type. He just looked old as some people do.

Kevin returned to his seat, and Ulrich replied, "Thanks, I guess." 

Yumi looked him, "You should thank me. It wouldn't look good for you if you had a demerit on your first day. But whatever, just enjoy the trip. This is one of the few times we get to enjoy being a teenager as opposed to being the so-serious student every day." 

Suddenly a tone came over the driver's radio, audible to all the students, and the driver immediately picked up, "This is Bus 12, Hickey here, what's going down, central?"

The following was clear as day, "_All Drivers report to Weigh Station. Repeat, Report to Weigh-Station."  
_

Hickey adjusted the acceleration, and he said through the P.A., "Patrons, Matrons, Code Five." 

The patrons and matrons nodded to each other, and Hickey took the radio and said, "Code 32-Alpha, Repeat Code 32-Alpha, Geoffrey come in, Geoffrey come in!" 

Kevin was heard to ask, "Is everything alright, Dave?"

"No, it bad, Babe. it's bad." He replied, just barely audible to Ulrich. 

Meanwhile, Anthea was exercising on her heavy bag when a tone sounded to her landline. She stopped immediately, ripped off her gloves, and after feverishly switching over to the secure line, she said, "Yes, what's going on?"

"_The second shoe has dropped. North-Gate has made her move, Anthea." _It was Samuel,_ "All of Mercier has been burned to the ground! It's all scorched, and the smoke can be seen for miles. What's more, there was a report of something genuinely massive in the area. Our security cameras couldn't register it; we think they were jammed before they were blasted to hell. We're going to assess the civilian sector to see if they captured anything.  
_

_Also, that's not the worst of it; the AI units, the mechs from our hostile takeover, rebelled against the guards in Quadrant five. We're getting report within the area that these things are fighting with such precision, such tenacity that we can't fight back!  
_

_We've tried using their kill-switch—it shut them down for a moment, but they restarted under their own accord! What in hell has North-Gate done! You're the specialist on this behemoth, what's going on!"  
_

Anthea was dumbstruck, "She's going for the processing facility!"

"_Fuck going! She's already there! We don't know what's going to happen next! You are called to HQ __**now**__!" _

Anthea heard the hard click flinching from the force of the slam. "What the hell did you do?! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" She cried out loud.

Sylvia was in her meditation chamber, and she heard the soft voice of the AI notification, "_High Commander, our strike against Decay's educational foundation is complete. Monolith is expected to finish in Chile in record time, ETC is ten minutes." _

"They're going to be awake. Have our boys vacate their placements on the dropship and have our mechs pulled out. Those cyborgs are precious. The operatives are to head to The Dealership within the nearby city sector using the sewers if they must. Just stay off street-level to avoid compromisation."

"_Understood, High-Commander. Our boys deserve some good R&R after this." _

"Agreed. Have Maria make an order for a grand banquet from our resources." 

"_Of course." _The voice replied, and then Sylvia was left in solitude. 

"It's begun, Daddy. It's begun." Sylvia said quietly, "The last chance we will need. The battle will be fierce, and every life will be precious. A line is drawn in the sand, and soon they will have to choose. There will be no neutrality, there will only be yea or nay." 


	64. Chapter 64

_**AN: This chapter took some time, as I wasn't sure what I wanted to use in terms of pacing. But after more than a few prayers and God's help in overcoming some significant issues, I'm glad to say that this chapter is finished to a standard I am proud of.  
**_

_**I will say as a bit of a warning, I've been a bit under the weather lately, and no, it's not the Rona, no it's just a nasty influenza case, and so if my chapter is late by a couple of days next week, please know this is why. I thank all of you who continue to read, and I look forward to seeing you next chapter.  
**_

_**Pagliacci-11**_

Chapter 64

Sylvia sat patiently at her command console as the readouts came from her sources first from Monolith's in-flight systems and then from the crew on the ground. The operation against the facility had bought precious time; time enough to calibrate for another precision strike. Sylvia knew the grand scheme of Decay. The relays and antennas had been scouted out, and she knew the sources of Decay's lifeblood. 

This had been a very prolonged process from the moment Jean-Pierre had been initiated into North-Gate protocol. Like any good employee after self-benefit, he had given all manner of reconnaissance to her. Thanks to his natural integration into the civilian sector, his contributions to the cause were one of the very many reasons she lamented letting Jean-Pierre go. In all honesty, she could have reprocessed him; Sylvia knew that well enough. However, to have done so would have been an immense wound and blow to Sissi. For this effect alone and out of principle, she couldn't bring herself to make full use of a once treasured source. 

Soon the report came in, and Sylvia read the following: _Too High Command from Monolith Squad, our operation has been a success. The mecha have been extracted and on their way to you. Force has successfully made it to the civilian sector evac point. Awaiting further orders."  
_

Sylvia sent her reply, "_Well done. Sending evac vehicle in ten minutes. Hold fast." _

Sylvia smiled as she saw the results of her plans. Not all her plans had been nearly this smooth in this scenario. And the fact this operation went off without too much of a hitch, she was beyond grateful. Her soldiers were immensely precious to her, and from their growing skills in the field, in several cases, North-Gate had truly elite soldiers in this regard. 

Sylvia reflected fondly on her soldiers' carefully handpicked specialties, those who had been fortunate enough to survive the hells of the raw battlefield. Through the dedicated schools of thought and battles she had implemented, Sylvia had those soldiers who she would personally sacrifice herself for due to how powerful they were in their respects. Yolanda, despite their interchange of hostility over the years, was one such unit.

Yolanda was a master of close-quarters combat, a genuine mistress of swordplay and stealth, earning her nickname, The Spider to the troops under her. To the medical specialists, she was termed Mengele due to her willingness to experiment with medicines to preserve those in her care and interrogation methods for those proving highly resilient to traditional, experimental, and even prolonged interrogation of the two variations. 

Additionally, and perhaps, her most valuable trait was her willingness and almost joyful predisposition to analyze the bodies of Decay's enhanced soldiers. It was Yolanda's willingness to do the macabre acts, her joy therein due to the discoveries that North-Gate had perfected many elements of medicine. That when the proper momentum was established, make their elite soldiers seem genuinely unstoppable and of the heavier units, insurmountable.

The years since they had last faced Decay, North-Gate's masterminds had dreamed up and proven those dreams to be immensely fruitful. The counselor's real strength, the conscience of 'the twins of progress,' had adapted to a merciless enemy. In this regard, North-Gate acknowledged the enemy as it was and was in this knowledge willing to put Decay down like the rabid dog it could quickly become. The tools and soldiers that were to come to bear resulted from the past's grievous tolls: the lessons of fallen soldiers; devastating losses in which there were no survivors; the disastrous pain caused by egotistical choices instead of common sense. All these factors and more served as the engine, spurning her soldiers of the old guard, the tried and true, ever onward.

As the results and the news reports began to flood the news of the waking world, Sylvia knew the phases had begun. Monolith was en route to her landing strip, at which point she could genuinely start tactical implementation. The Mecha were on their way, and soon her army's streamlined precision would be in place. North-Gate had the upper-hand for now. But the best part was that their headquarters was the epitome of mobile. With the engine upgrades that Mei had expressed to Sylvia before transit, navigating the world would be suitably eons beyond the capabilities of the current air travel available to the best militaries, the best militaries, save for Decay's "Guardians." However, Monolith had been calibrating after salvaging two different Guardian classes to anticipate not only Decay's tactics but also weaponized countermeasures. 

However, even though Monolith had these speed advantages, it didn't justify being frivolous with escape clauses and countermeasures. Besides, Sylvia knew that hit and run wouldn't be useful, which is why they had the troop deployment modules which could quickly be dropped in a casual flyover of a city or the like and be dismissed as a simple craft to even the likes of Decay. The modules were also very easily deconstructed for impromptu portions of cover should the need arise. This convenience would also be used to reinforce the cells that would need them for fortification. Additionally, ground contacts in place were given civilian sector vehicles for more underground movement but only if necessary due to Decay's knee-jerk reaction to the measure used against Mercier to use the 'silent secure state' protocol.

Soon the radio buzzed, and the announcement was made, "_Monolith on approach, requesting landing coordinates." _

The coordinates once given; the gentle hum of the behemoth could be heard. Sylvia heard the measured withdraw of the hangar roof and the gentle tug of her chair across the room, room announced the vehicle's descent. Sylvia got up, and she headed out into the hanger; she smiled, beholding the ship that would serve as North-Gate's operational base. 

The undercarriage's light changed from green to yellow, and the vehicle passed into standby mode. The left side opened, and a ramp deployed. Sylvia watched as the tried and true departed from within. Dr. Mei Wong, chief combat design and engineering specialist; James "Jimmy" Tong, principal energy and expense officer; Tabitha Shaeffer, communications specialist, and tactical coordinator; Gottfried Morgenstern, chief operational and human-relations historian; and finally, Claiborne Humphries, Public Relations and State Security Officer. 

Sylvia nodded and said, "It's good to see you all."

They nodded, once fully assembled, "High-Commander." They replied nearly in unison.

"Alright, well, everything is as you promised. Tell me, how was the transition phase? Any negative feedback of note?"

Jimmy stepped forward and said, "Negative, High-Commander. The equations have held true, and no adverse feedback was received, and none is anticipated for our return trip at present." He stepped back into formation.

Sylvia nodded, "And as for Monolith's aspects of engine and conventional transit, is it adapting within the realms of our simulations?"

Mei stepped forward, "The magnetite projector, in addition to our most strenuous tests, have proven more than sufficient. Major Heidi's notes on this biosphere have proven immensely helpful in addition to our teams in the observatories." She stepped back. 

Sylvia nodded, "Top speed of Monolith's magnetized traversal without engine backup?"

Mei stepped forward, "As a standard speed on average just under hypersonic. But at peak performance, we rise above hypersonic into our traditional "High Calibration Standard." Using the magnetization of this iteration of the sphere, we conducted the traditional run from the northernmost reaches of the pole to Antarctica proper; the time to reach our destination was clocked precisely eight hours, thirty-two minutes. This was achieved, I should note, by making the most of the adaptive conduits along with the flow of the gulf stream first. With full engine support, Monolith has proven capable of going four times around the globe and making the triple-lemniscate route in twelve hours, fourteen minutes, fifty-two seconds flat."

Sylvia nodded with a smile, "Excellent, Mei, most excellent. How is the battle back home? Is there any battle still, or have the hostilities died down?" 

Morgenstern stepped forward, "The invaders have been successfully eradicated. Our alliance with our earthen neighbors proved most beneficial to our resistance. Every non-humanoid entity we processed and converted them to fertilizer. Additionally, through their help, we found a much healthier means of dealing with excess wastage of human waste by our populace. 

We were able to turn overcrowded sewers into a true gold-mine of negotiation from our work, making our allies stronger. As a result, they have given us gifts by which to accelerate our efforts here and protect our troops." 

Sylvia nodded, "Excellent. And how is Dacanis? It has been so long since I have been to the collective's land."

Claibourne stepped forward and, speaking in his soft, gentle voice, replied, "He's very well. He sends you all his best, high-commander, and he has given us additional help with the knowledge he has attained through his own battles with our foes. One of his contributions of knowledge is aboard the ship if you'd care to look at it?" 

Sylvia nodded, "In just a moment. Thank you, Brother Claibourne." Sylvia looked over the group, "I'll tour the vessel, and you can tell me its improvements. Also, after the strike against Decay, where are the faculty that the ground forces were ordered to secure from Mercier?" 

Claibourne stepped forward again, "They are having their own assessments done by personnel, and their own faculty files in addition to further work by Decay is being compiled right now by one of our staff for your eyes to determine how best to make use of them." 

Sylvia nodded, "I'm so elated you all are so remarkably efficient in your fields. Jimmy, how are you these days?"

Jimmy smiled, clicking his heels, and bowing his head."

Morgenstern stepped forward, "Forgive him, High-Commander, in the battle against Karat' so, we had a spy among us, and subsequently, our ship was compromised. Jimmy was compromised on a field mission simultaneously. Before we could rescue him from their facility, they cut out his tongue." 

Sylvia looked at Jimmy and said, "I'm sorry, James, is there anything I can do for you?"

Jimmy smiled and shook his head and began to sign, which Sylvia could understand, "_No need to be angry or sorry, High-Commander. Our enemy was routed, and they are no longer among the living. They have been processed half for our work with brother Dacanis and the other half for our own research purposes. Besides, the head of my chief tormentor is on my wall, so I'm as contented as I can be. I appreciate the gesture, though, truly."  
_

Sylvia nodded and signed back, "_Excellent. I know you, Jimmy. I can't wait to see your innovations to the power system when I take the tour to see what you have done with the place." _

Jimmy signed back, "_I guarantee, all of our innovations will move you." _

Sylvia nodded and, after a moment of silence, said, " Staff, Attention!" The staff stood immediately at attention, and Sylvia continued, "Alright. Here is where we stand. We've all observed and listened, we've heard the cries of the people. Decay has been here far too long; we took too long to get here. However, it is what it is. Their infrastructure is very well along, yet the most open it has even been for us. 

In our decision to hold silence, they have made immense progress in the civilian and armed sectors. They are approaching the zenith of a fully integrated populace, and from this, they have risen to a grand design of power and productivity, the likes of which we have never seen. In many ways, we should have foreseen this. 

However, with one of my most valuable soldiers in the sector, we have seen their marketing approaches. We have seen their economic movements and their land seizures of hard natural resources through their vast plethora of 'public servant entities.' We have seen and have thorough documentation of these elements; I have decided; therefore, Decay is to be destroyed, root, and stem. Those who do not wish to serve us from their ranks will be reprocessed or returned to the earth. As I have heard it called, this ruthlessness is to be applied _only _to Decay's militarized sectors and all they entail. The civilians are not to be harmed; they will be given freedom of choice and calibrated from those choices. 

As of this moment, North-Gate is fully operational. We have our relays in place for the most expedient efficiently around the most public sectors of Decay and their more private areas. We are ready for them, and we have a great selection of quality troops so far from the front. We have attained more troops since landfall and have been steadily building our numbers. Our countermeasure has been used, and now we know its power and accuracy, we have more than accounted for Decay's hunt for it. Therefore, at exactly midnight tonight, the countermeasure launches to phase two. 

Now, all of you get some sleep, I know it is vastly needed, and we have food ready for you when you wake. In the meantime, while all of you sleep, Jimmy, I want a full comprehensive log of all enemies and progress you have made from their processing. I want all audio-logs, all photos, autopsy notes, and reports of field tests of the innovations since then."

Jimmy nodded, and Sylvia said, "Excellent. Dismissed." 

As Sylvia departed from the crew and returned to her own room, she found Nicolette Villefort sitting at her desk. Sylvia smiled slightly, for Nicolette had received the call, and true to fashion, appeared with promptness.

"It's good to see you again, dear friend," Sylvia said with a slight chuckle. 

Nicolette looked over, "It's been some time, admittedly. You said you'd make me look like your sister, and you were truer than your word. Now that my mission is complete, perhaps my illustrious captain would tell me what my mission's purpose was?" 

Sylvia smiled grimly, "I thought you'd never ask."

Back with the children of Mercier, all the busses had gathered at what had been termed a weigh-station. But this was too official looking for such a generic descriptive. Ulrich had used his intuition and eavesdropped on a few conversations between the matrons and patrons. From what he could piece together, there had been a massive attack on the school. But to what extent not even the patrons and matrons knew. 

As he got back together with Yumi, Jeremy, and Aelita, he said, "It's not looking good, not good at all. Some are saying the school is completely gone, others are saying not so much, but either way, it's not good."

Aelita looked at Jeremy, "Jeremy, do you think that Sylvia—"

"I already know what you're going to say, and I have to be honest, I don't know. Well—it's not that I don't know, it's that I have a theory."

Yumi nodded, "Which is?"

"Sylvia is more than likely behind this. But think about this: all of us, from the entry-level to the seniors, were taken on this trip. If Sylvia did do this, she emptied the place of all of us and then struck. She's accounting for the genuine loss of innocent life." 

"That's all well and good, Jeremy, but there's an issue." Yumi replied, "What about the faculty that were left?" This isn't Kadic, where you only had two adults with a legion of kids. We have the head students as chaperones and a couple of adults, sure. But what about the faculty that remained there? What's to say they aren't gone?" 

Jeremy thought a moment or two and said, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Yumi nodded, "So, what now? I'm sorry, but it's not like we can just mobilize like we used to. The distance itself is a real pain in the balls in the first place, and now that we've been uprooted, who knows what will come up next?" 

At that moment, a voice came over a bullhorn; it was one of the bus drivers, "Alright, listen, none of you are going back to Mercier. Your parents will be contacted by one of the matrons or patrons here, or you can contact them yourselves and ask for matron or patron verification. Once your calls are made, file back onto the busses, and you will be released as your parents arrive." 

Ulrich sighed, "Oh, fantastic. Just wonderful. Alright, let's get this over with."

As the calls were being made, Aelita came to a harsh realization. "Jeremy, I have a question, where will I live until this blows over?"

Jeremy was seen to freeze in place, and he looked at her, and he said, "I-I give me a minute." He ran through a few calculations, "I can give you at best a couple at my house. Unfortunately, no longer than that because my mother has a weak stomach when it comes to guests." 

"And after that? Forgive me, I can't rightly go couch-hopping given a few things."

Jeremy sighed, "Sadly, I'm going to say it, you have a means of being cared for. But you'd have to go from the frying pan into the fire."

"Oh, you mean—mother?"

"Sadly, yes. But ride out the two weeks with me, and we'll see if we can work out something different." Jeremy was heard to sigh, "I have to be honest, I didn't anticipate this kind of thing, not at all. The problem now is I don't know what's likely to happen or how we're even supposed to act." 

Ulrich then spoke up, "You don't think this is another one of psycho lady's tests, do you?" 

Jeremy shook his head, "I don't think so. If it is, I guarantee it isn't _us_ she's testing. This seems way too radical, too much of a massive thing of destruction, even by her standards. Sylvia doesn't strike me as the type to just destroy something for a whim. She's not _that _crazy. I will only know more if I do research, which simply sends us back home. I have to call my dad, I'll be back in a minute or two."

As Jeremy departed, he thought, "_Well, this tears it. I don't have a backup plan for this kind of thing for Aelita. Even if she can stay for two weeks, my mother's hospitality has limits, my dad's too. Besides, even though Anthea's an option, there's no guarantee at all she'll take her in."  
_

Jeremy dialed Michael's number and waited for a response.

Back at Decay's analytics department, Anthea was watching the sheer scale of pandemonium taking place. From the bean-counters to the analyst specialists to overseeing production chiefs, the last three blows in merely two weeks had shaken the institution to its very foundations. Decay's primary factory attack was one thing; it could mostly be handled with a few accidental explanations. Still, with the escalation of aggression first on Mercier and then on their primary accelerated production factory within literally just four hours, it was beyond belief. 

Anthea knew one thing, Marlin Trent, the overseer of expenditures, was going to be furious. In fact, Anthea was more than willing to embrace Marline would actively want to kill any person who came to her with a request to look over expenditure reports for the immediate future. However, there was one thing that did concern Anthea, the presence of one Justin McKnight. He was standing farther off, observing the pandemonium the same as she was, but she knew he was watching this for a different reason. 

Justin was reputed in the company as a mastermind of efficiency. He was dedicated to finding the flaws, the weaknesses of the matters he had been charged to oversee. In the eyes of many, Anthea included, Justin stood as the embodiment of the unnerving calm resourcefulness of Decay at large. He was the maintainer of the crucial lesser functions of the organization. Under Justin's infamous calibrated silver stopwatch, everyone was timed per their role, especially by their own personal best timing; the result was written down without bias or resentment. Many knew Justin but feared him; the ruthless bureaucrat who simply performed his function for the higher powers and performed it well. 

Some in Decay, Akiko, indeed being one of them, had asked Anthea why Justin hadn't merely been replaced by an industry-regulated assessment tool, as it took precious little skill to do as he did. Anthea knew the answer; it was Justin's compassion for the worker, which made him so valued to the organization. His reviews and assessments, scathing as they could be, were always fair; Justin cited what needed fixing and why it needed fixing. He cited deficiencies in wastage and how to improve output. Justin had cared for the people, despite how they hated him on occasion, and he had long accepted this hate as part of the job. 

What unnerved Anthea this time, however, Justin was simply observing the pandemonium with a form of bemusement, and yet she saw his eyes glance from the clamor on the main floor to the losses as Decay's investment stocks began to plunge. He took out a small black notepad and made a few notes with a pencil. As he wrote, Anthea saw a group of two young men and three women come beside him, and they were seen to murmur. After a moment, Anthea grew alarmed as Justin pointed the young men and women directly in her direction. The men and women came over to Anthea, and as they approached, Anthea's heartbeat was quicker, as, upon their lapels, she saw the insignia of three silver bars pierced by a scarlet saber. These were The Preservation Corps, Decay's damage control. 

The first young man spoke, "Anthea Schaeffer, you were in the most recent contact with Akiko Ishiyama having sent her to a black-site. You will be taken from here, and after processing, you will tell us everything we need to know of your colleague." 

Anthea spoke after a moment, "What's all this about?"

"That will be made clear to you in time," one of the women said as she approached Anthea. 

Anthea began to reach into her blazer, and the three other Preservers drew their pistols immediately and silently. "Please, Sister," the second woman said, "we'd hate to destroy one such as yourself without suitable reason. Come with us calmly, and all will be made clear to you soon." 

Anthea began to gently place her hands behind her back, and she thought, "_It's as they said it would be. They would turn on me for something I hopefully cannot explain, and they know I cannot. I have served my purpose; they just needed enough justification on paper. Heh, no matter."  
_

Anthea's hands connected behind her back and the gently click of the phantom restraint was heard. It allowed Anthea to look normal compared to everyone, but she was very much bound to a select range of movement. That was fine; she knew how to work around this. She walked out with the group, and they headed towards the elevator. Anthea thought nothing, felt nothing. Control was key. The elevator chimed, and they entered. 

The door closed and as they headed down, Anthea gently coughed, "Sorry, been a rough night."

The woman behind her replied, "This is nothing personal. You understand that yes? It's just looking—" 

"I know." Anthea replied, "Just looking after company investments and damage control, I get it." Anthea sighed as she closed her eyes.

"_One, two, buckle my shoe," _She thought, "_three, four, now through the door; five, six behold the River Styx; Seven, Eight, we have sealed their fate; Nine, Ten." _She whispered, _"_Behold, I am free again."

Anthea's eyes shot open, and the elevator went dead. 

Meanwhile, in her study, Akiko was had finished the transfer of all files and contacts under her watch. She heard her phone ring, and because it was a semi-tone higher, she knew exactly who it was. 

Akiko answered and said, "Hello."

"_We have received a majority of what you have sent so far. Remember to stagger your reports. Equally, you must get moving, you and your family. The Legionaries have acquired your colleague, and it's only a matter of time before they show up at your front door."  
_

Akiko nodded, "How much time do I have?"

" _They don't know you're back just yet. But it won't be too long. Take your children and go. Your dear Taki will follow soon afterward."_

"And where will we be heading? You realize it's not that hard to uproot and start all over again."

"_I more than realize that which is why we've made sufficient names, passports, employment histories and given you a good home to start over and it's relatively close, so it's not too jarring a transition for the younger of your family. Equally, I would advise you to stay out of France for at least a year."_

"A year? I can't spend a year away from this country. There's already so much sewn up in the central bureaucracy that—" 

"_Akiko, enough! First, you don't need to worry about the bureaucrats when they are in our pocket. If it's the real-estate hustle you have on the side that you are concerned about, we'll ride out the sale, and your commission will be extracted from it. Thirdly, timing is of the essence. After you hang up, pack two suitcases and have Hiroki pack his own. Yumi is trying to get through to talk to you for pickup from Transit Station 5."  
_

"So, the call wasn't a fluke; it was the actual implementation?" 

"_That's correct. Pack your stuff, have your kid pack his stuff accordingly. Then both of you go get Yumi. Your household furnishings will be packed by Orion and shipped to your new place once you call me back from your new home." _

"Before I go, what's going to happen next?"

"_It's on a need to know basis. Now, hustle."_

The line disconnected, and Akiko knew she only had so much time. After giving a call out to Hiroki, she began to pack her suitcase and Yumi's. 

Back at the weigh-station, Jeremy had finished his call, and he approached Aelita, "Don't worry." He said, "It's been worked out that you can stay two weeks. But after that, I'm frankly not sure as to what we'll do. As I said, we may have to consider our options with your mother being the only viable one." 

Aelita nodded, "It's two weeks, so we can make the most of it. How long did it take you to doctor my medical records?"

"About three days because I was on a chaotic schedule at the time. But without interruptions, I can get it done within twenty-four hours. Why? You already have viable records."

"No particular reason just was curious as to how long it took you. So, we have two weeks to figure out what to do next. But it should not be too hard. If I must go with my mother, so be it. But I feel the Faustian bargain to live with her will be a bit hefty."

Jeremy shrugged, "Sadly, at least it's an option."

Aelita was surprised, "For the first time, you don't have a plan. It's actually quite humbling to see."

Jeremy's smirked, "Well, forgive me, I didn't anticipate our long-term cover plan being literally reduced to an ash heap, did I?" 

"There's no need to be nasty about it." Aelita replied, "I'm the one adversely effected here of the two of us when we face reality. So, there's no need for you to be so snide."

Jeremy sighed, "I'm sorry, just I didn't anticipate this."

"_You _didn't anticipate it? Big surprise. Because no one did." Aelita replied.

Ulrich, who watched this whole interplay go down, thought about the grand scheme effect before them. On some level, he couldn't shake that this was a test for all of them. What was being tested, Ulrich didn't know; all the same, Ulrich would have been lying if he said he wasn't unnerved by the goings-on. He saw Yumi watching Jeremy and Aelita, much as he was. Still, something about her seemed off. She was never _this _calm or collected. She was strong, Ulrich would never deny it, but she was never this laissez-faire about anything.

Ulrich went alongside her and asked, "What do you think about this whole deal?"

"What's to think?" Yumi replied, "The only thing to do now is to let things take their course. Because, really, what can we do? If the school's been blitzed, where's the sense in talking about it? We're at the mercy of the winds right now, and that's all there is to it."

Ulrich was surprised at this, Yumi's mindset usually was pragmatic, sure, but this wasn't Yumi's form of pragmatic. "Hey, what's up with you? You've been really fucking weird ever since we showed up at Mercier; what's changed?" 

"First of all, I'm not weird. I'm just looking at this for what it is. The school is gone, there is nothing we can do about it as kids. With the supercomputer's return to the past function negated, we have no hope of undoing the past. So, to put it bluntly, we have to suck it up and deal with it. And just what do you mean by weird? Is wanting to face facts truly that weird to you?"

"What have you been smoking to be so calm with this? You realize that we have lost what was to be our school, our possessions—"

"A school that has been decimated and all of us have homes to return to for the most part. I do not see too much of a problem here. If it had been a gas fire, it would have been probably even more garish due to a massive loss of life potentially. However, this not being the case; it could truly be so much worse. Do not overthink it, just roll with the changes. As for our possessions, they are simple materials that can be replaced and even improved upon in some cases. What you see as loss and devastation, I see as a chance for innovation and positive change." 

"Oh? And when Jeremy lost my body in the supercomputer, does that philosophy hold up as easily?" Ulrich asked.

"That's like apples and oranges in this case. You cannot be replaced. Clothing, computers, all that stuff, it can easily be done so. I mean, hello, it's called an industry."

"Stop minimalizing what I say!" Ulrich burst out angrily.

"Minimalizing what you say? Wow, you need help. Minimizing what you say is what you mean. Besides, I just said you were irreplaceable. You were the one, in all fairness, who lowered yourself to the position of being as easily replaced as a sweater. If you are to be mad at anyone, be mad at yourself. However, I see what you wish for. You wish for validation of your importance. That's why you brought up your own bodily compromisation. If that is the case, we can fuck when I get home." 

Ulrich was stunned at this bluntness. "I need validation?!"

"Why bring up your own distant calamity to see how you measure in my mind? You even asked how my philosophy held up, so yes, by that demand, I said you needed validation. I offered sex as a form of verification of that validation need to which you are reacting like a wounded child who was told, 'Don't think yourself smarter than you are.' So, who's more to blame here for your own frustration?" 

Ulrich shook his head, "You place way too much value on what you assume is a problem."

"Assumption has nothing to do with it. To know is far different from an assumption. So, you can admit this is a fault of yours, wanting verification, or you cannot. But the sad truth is, the answer is right in front of you. So, in the future, give thought to your words to avoid making an ass of yourself." 

Soon a matron came forward, "Yumi Ishiyama?"

Yumi nodded, "Matron?"

"Your mother and brother are here to pick you up to head home."

Yumi looked for the first time, surprised, "Huh, that was—quick. Alright, thanks."

The matron headed away, and Yumi looked at Ulrich, "Don't take everything as a form of accusation and learn to cool it. I'll see you later." 

Ulrich stood silently as he watched Yumi walk away. In his mind, he was furious. Yumi had called it like she saw it to be, and what hurt Ulrich more was that on some level, Ulrich knew that Yumi knew she was right. However, boylike, to admit this would mean he would be in the wrong, and in this regard, his own code forbade that. So, Ulrich headed back on the bus and pulled out his phone to call his own parents for his pickup.


	65. Chapter 65

_**AN: Hello, everyone. I have finished my chapter, and despite my flu, I'm still thrilled with how it turned out. I thank God, especially for his help and to all my readers. A bit of an update, my fic is fully transferred to Watt Pad. And so if FF somehow does a surprise purge, we have a fallback for updates. Thank you all for your support and care.  
**_

_**With Love,**_

_**Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 65

"Is it clear to you now?" Sylvia asked as she gently drank some tea.

Nicolette nodded, "It's as clear as I think we're going to get. No disrespect, but do you ever find an issue with using people as you do?"

"Use—is such an unmusical word. Think of this more akin to the utilization of all resources at one's disposal."

"Sweetheart, we can quibble what to call it, but at the end of the day, you need to careful with such carefree utilization."

"Do not think that I have not learned from my past mistakes. I more than have. However, a lot of things are truly in the realm of perspective. Also, consider this, the evolution of my policies and views hinge upon the actions of others. It's the expression, 'To give as good as you get.' I anticipate Decay's reactions; that's par for the course. However, I've been talking to my sister, from that, I have acclimated my policies to fit more the people I seek to govern. So, my progress and policies reflect my willingness to listen and, at the very least, consider other perspectives than my own."

"Very well. A question I have for you, though, why did you send me to Kadic in the first place?"

"Validation to reinforce the justification for what some would call vindictiveness or what others would call confirmation of suspicion. Whichever way we wish to use my presentation of this perspective, your objective was met to reinforce my reasoning and my planning for current and later phases."

Nicolette smirked, "I saw your actions with Belpois. Smart. At the same time, it showed me what you're willing to do."

"And?"

"I must applaud you, love, you're ruthless. But I have a genuine question, did you truly force Aelita's hand to keep you here, or did you genuinely give her freedom of choice to choose Jeremy's life over the whole of humanity?"

"Why do people keep harping on that one?" Sylvia sighed, "I was very much honest with that whole thing. It is the classic mindfuck mixed with a genuine moral quandary given a time-limit. Sadly, you're not going to believe the truth, even if it were told to you in such a situation as Aelita found herself in. It would happen to you, to me probably, and it did to Aelita."

"So, literally, you made a crap-shoot. Either Aelita would or she wouldn't. But given the trauma that happened to her, seeing Jeremy killed, you're telling me that trauma didn't factor in at all?"

"What better way to reinforce the incentive? I needed to motivate her to act, and what better way than to take away her Lancelot? Besides, the group had willfully chosen to undo so much of what I'd done already? Now you'll likely argue that my choice to Aelita was, in fact, truly self-serving. However, Jeremy was of the mindset to eliminate me from the get-go without even contemplating what I could offer. I couldn't work, let alone reason with such a mindset. So, I did the next best thing. I amped up the stakes to where Aelita did have a true choice, sacrifice her love for the world, or choose her love _over _the world."

"I think I see your rationale, and it's morbid. But I get it. You're going back to what Jesus said, 'There is no greater act of love than for a man to give up his life for his friends.' Is that it?"

Sylvia smiled, "Bingo. See, Aelita's not willing to do that. She'd rather buy time, have her man, and see what she could do to benefit all the world. She wants her cake and to eat it too. Sadly, as she's learning, she can't have it both ways; that's the point. Had Aelita truly contemplated this, she would have likely chosen the world over Jeremy, and we wouldn't be having this conversation. No, ma'am, we'd be all the way back to setting up transfer stations over to this little blue marble, that we would, honey."

Nicolette nodded, "Something I meant to ask you, just how did we get all of the calibration done so quickly? I mean, what was supposed to take so long in the original projections, took you only a year. How?"

"Simple. The multiple trips to the past the Lyoko warriors took, and we're talking at least six to seven trips per week when our departed brother took off. Yes, technically, XANA hadn't seen the necessity for implementing his plan to be made more robust from the returns to the past just yet. But during that time, the Supercomputer was broadcasting a concentrated honing beacon. We gained substantial progress from those results, first from Yolanda, then from you when we perfected the silver standard of speed-transit.

As you saw, after brother dearest had indeed become a threat, and the warriors were forced to tailor their response, well, we had to work quickly. But such as it was, with Yolanda on the inside, in proximity to the Supercomputer, we were able to actively modify the feedback without Jeremy noticing.

Yes, every return to the past was strengthening XANA but not nearly as much as the Lyoko warriors were lead to believe. Because I had to lull them into a false sense of security for this to work. They knew they had to make the most of the return to the past, and so, in doing so, yes, they strengthened my brother but on the flip side, only fifty percent. The rest of that strength went into our transponders to be funneled back to us, filtering the junk data that would have been XANA's negative feedback to our program and keeping the raw processing power and adaptation, boosting operational expediency."

"So, you lied by omission, did you?" Nicolette replied in an accusatory tone.

"Again, you say it so disdainfully. Firstly, I didn't deceive the Lyoko warriors. I worked merely within the format of this iteration of the Supercomputer. I could do so quite passively as, in truth, XANA had yet to adapt to a self-preserving mindset. However, I had to augment the formula for optimum efficiency once he had made that alteration. I didn't lie to the children, because I wasn't in contact with them. Besides, it isn't my fault if Jeremy wasn't thorough in his analysis in unwittingly giving energy to us. So proud was he in his ego and hubris, that you know the type, they are negligent on the very finest details.

Thankfully, around the time brother dearest had constructed the Colossus, we had finished all means of data processing and crunching for expedient travel of all on-ground personnel crucial to this operation. However, the weight durability of the channels was what needed to be calibrated last, and therefore they took the most time."

Nicolette shook her head, "Is this what life is to you? A whole slew of technicalities, psychological ploys, and legal jargon games to get what you need to be done?"  
"Isn't that lifestyle and motto for every sleaze of power ingratiated in the economics of this world? Isn't the runoff of this motto and lifestyle the disease inflicted by the precious few to be felt by the masses as a whole and by the transitive property, something I am trying to rectify?"

"And how do you intend to rectify it?" Nicolette asked, "I have stood by you and with you for thirty years, so, I think I know your answer. But you could always surprise me."

Sylvia was about to speak, but Nicolette raised her hand, "Please, mon chere, no grand speeches, no verbose verbiage. Simply put, in ten words or less, describe your goal and how you mean to achieve it."

Sylvia thought a moment or two and replied, "To restore joy by cutting out and sterilizing decayed graft."

Nicolette's smiled, "How long did it take you to formulate that response?"

"A few tries. Admittedly, I was simply going to say, 'To make a mouth clean by cutting out and sterilizing.' And when you asked for a clarification, I would say you asked for a ten-word limit. However, considering who you are and how valuable you are to me on a personal level, I couldn't exactly do that without coming across as an asshole."

"I would have said a churlish vindictive bitch, but we'll go with that in light of your honesty."

Sylvia shrugged, "You flatter me."

"So, what now? I mean, you've come all this way and done all this work—what now?"

"A lot of the work of our brothers and sisters is in the details, more specifically the fine biological details of their bodies and their means of combat. It has taken me an exceptionally long time to learn and finally come to terms with past errors. And from those countless errors, I can say, a real war, not a battle, but a prolonged war is no more than two things, outpacing and outlasting your opponent.

In many ways, the genuinely most excellent offense is the act of running and defending. I have worked extensively in terms of our combat protocols. While you were privilege to witness the Nietzsche doctrine in its full glory, I have made my adaptations to the philosophy to make it an even grander form of an autarkic powerhouse."

Nicolette nodded, "Yes, I had a feeling it would go this route. I've seen some of the more recent programs you've given priority to, and I'd be lying if I didn't say you haven't grown. Your outlines and implementation of various protocols in efficiency and expediency are not to be sneered at.

Additionally, I noticed when you came here when you chose this rock of all places, you were—extremely selective and particular about various forms of intellectual and enlightenment thresholds. I can only guess your logic as I was not privy to those meetings. But you and I both know what you wish for, what you aspire for.

Your dreams and visions of a brighter tomorrow, I understand, I do. But I have also witnessed that you can be horrifying in your anger, in your willingness to do certain things to those who stand opposed to you. In many ways, despite not wishing to be like your mother, you are very much your mother's girl in terms of anger. Every molecule of you. So, your cruelty you may be learning to control, it may even be dying down, but I'd be a fool to believe if the anger of the past was not there merely biding its time."

Sylvia was silent for a good while as she looked at the woman sitting before her. She had the veneer of a teenage girl, indeed, as Sylvia herself had, but she was far from a teenager. Sylvia thought on all that had been said, and she replied, "Your insight serves you well. I am wrathful, but I'm genuinely trying to be better."

"Which brings me to the second course of my observation. You need to understand that you are allowed to do all these things to progress as you have because you have _shown _progression. You were very rough in the beginning, almost as inflexible as iron. However, your policies and your edicts of State and mindset have continuously changed over time and not flippantly so as we saw in others who only changed often for the sake of good graces. No, there's a legitimate change within you.

But I want to know, because of the change I have seen, I feel compelled to ask this question, how much of Sami did you carry over with you?"

"He humbled me, Nicole. He humbled me by showing me that even the king can become one of his people to submit himself to humility and learning. So, yes, I learned from Sami; how to be of the people, to be removed from my station. How the unthinkable can truly be achieved. That a mighty king can be among you, hidden; yet, not to judge you in condemnation but to understand you, to feel as you do. To me, that is the highest form of humility: to be placed in the vestments of beggars compared to your prior position; from this coming fully understand the pain of your people."

"I'm more than aware that you're telling me the truth. Because it has shown in your adaptations. You have done quite well not just in my sight but in the eyes of those back home. Do they always care for your methods, not at all, but you get results, and those results are marked improvements over every other chance you've been given. You've vastly improved from who you used to be. Before, you were one who would tell those what they wanted to hear; now, not so. Now, you are faithful in your promises as best you can be.

But Sylvia, what is that final point? For all your progress, I know your rage, once kindled, will burn out of control. What is that one moment by which we must ensure cannot happen?"

Sylvia was quiet, and as she looked at Nicolette, Nicolette could see Sylvia's eyes; those eyes that were usually so calm and self-assured, that the moment had already passed.

"They killed him, didn't they?" Nicolette asked.

Sylvia nodded, "My father's death I've grown accustomed to. Not his, never his."

Nicolette, "How many? How many rotations have you been seeking in trying to find him as you knew him?"

"I'll never find him. The sad truth is the navigation method doesn't change the fact. The truth is there is only one life, one energy, one chance per person. Even with the energy available in this rendition of Waldo Schaeffer's machine, I have studied it enough to realize that the energy will forever change you even if brought back from death. The effect is not always immediately felt, but in time the impact shows. The sad truth is, our friends will begin to experience that.

It's much as Heidi explained to one of them. Akin to the aspect of the return to the past, where suppressed memory resurfaces after enough time or given the appropriate stimuli. Imagine the weight on the physical soul when made to realize that it was brought back from slumber, from peace, back to the hell that is this accursed world. I've focused on this elementary energy equation, and from it, I have devised my own ultimate weapon. It's a weapon to be used in the ultimate last resort, but even then, by my lessons, its effect will be streamlined."

Nicolette looked at Sylvia, slightly bemused, "Speaking of weapons, mind telling me your mindset with the whole military aspect? I've looked at your declaration of military protocol and conduct, which you've submitted to the Grand Council, and that's another reason why I came here tonight. I'm concerned about your views on things. I mean you will give civilians more leniency that are in Decay's pockets than you would military personnel, infantry, or administrative peoples, why is that?"

Sylvia got up and headed over to a percolator in the far corner; she began to pour a steaming cup of coffee. As she poured, she replied, "I figured this question would come at some point. Grand speeches aside, it boils down to what is the weight of responsibility." She stopped pouring, and before putting the percolator down, pointed to it, asking, "Care for some?"

Nicolette shook her head, "No, thank you."

Sylvia gently put the pot down and opening a small black compartment underneath a nearby counter, she took out a jar of creamer and poured a liberal dose before capping the jar. "Again, I have to thank our Heidi for such a refreshing breath of fresh air. Her perspective gave me pause for consideration." Sylvia put the creamer back in the box and continued, "She told me that she would not follow me blindly, that she would not do as ordered without questioning why the order is given. By her own words, I have decided to judge those in Decay's hands in accordance with their position in the organization's power structure, their proven knowledge of Decay's goings-on, and their willingness to question or even outright refuse their orders. As the logic goes, it is a natural, dare I say, even the most natural form of accountability. Will I fault the civilian in the same regard as I do the willful serviceman? Certainly not!"

Nicolette nodded, "You truly have thought about this. Okay, so, what of the doctrine in terms of civil police? Is that still in play?"

"I would think of them much akin to how we feel about Sister Ishiyama; they are not even civil police as we had under the old guard; as they are now keepers of the peace, liberators of the everyman from more tyrannical hands. Every man and woman born has their price, usually taking a form of security and steadfast assurance of that security. Sister Ishiyama is one such example. My way of policing the people, even my own agents, is derived from this principle.

To synopsis, it's far more comfortable for me to count on a rival to turn you in. However, I cannot always trust a rival's reports. Thus, we have the third level, the mediatory regulators, to see if the rival is spending one too many nights burning the midnight oil for the sake of position."

"Your paranoia has kept you alive for quite some time, that's much is evident. But, there is one last question that the bureau has for you. Why did you ask for the allowance of the self-insertion protocol?"

"For a few reasons but for the sake of the Bureau's request for conciseness, my experimentations with the corporeal envelope have proved most fruitful. In your report to the Bureau for this question, say the following, 'The experiments of Valarie Mountralis were more on point than those of their esteemed dare to admit. The envelope is the casing, designed to be inhabited by the soul. It's the epitome of a custom job. However, I found that given the sufficient samples, we can make envelopes in direct aesthetic similarity only, and this similarity is all that matters. These envelopes are entirely habitable by our own focused energized projections. From our own viable field tests, we have proven that blank envelopes are no more significant than the coat you throw on or off given the weather."

Nicolette nodded, and she wrote these words down in a small black notepad. "Alright, very good. Additionally, I have word from Director Itzack; he said for me to tell you, 'Excellent work on the Inner Tap. Our disabled veterans have been given an entirely new purpose under the initiative. From the success you've given to the State, you are given permission to activate the Corsair Industry Shell.' All benefits will be sent to you in the form of resources through conventional supply drops out of the Taiga and Burma."

"Convey my thanks to the director and let him know our production of the mecha that we have extracted from Decay has now entered field testing and production. Soon, we will have the capability of a highly mobile and armored heavy assault unit designation."

Nicolette wrote this down in her notebook and said, "Well, that is all I have to report." She stood, "You've done exceptional work in the eyes of the Bureau, and we are most pleased." As she turned to leave, Nicolette looked back at Sylvia, "Answer me one last thing."

Sylvia nodded, and Nicolette replied, "How do you feel about Aelita pawning off her responsibilities on Yumi in terms of reading and analyzing your societal structures?"

"I can't exactly blame her. She's a child despite her intellect, much like Will Hunting. But the flip side being I'm not asking Yumi her input; I'm asking Aelita. So as much as Aelita can get steamed at me, it doesn't matter. The tradeoff for me is Aelita will be made to read my work anyway. I've more or less designed it that way. "

"Is this what you do? Just plot out your actions ahead of time, and if people follow them or not, that's how you appraise them?"

"Can you think of a better way? Here, let me explain my logic, and then you can give me your appraisal. An employer provides a team of workers with a set of guidelines to follow. The dutiful worker performs those tasks as best he or she can. The slacker clowns simply do what is necessary, usually pawning off their responsibility onto the shoulders of another; sadly, the slacker still gets paid the same amount as the dutiful worker. However, when reviewed for performance under sign-in books and having those duties on the sign-in book further validated by cameras and on-ground personnel, the slackers are weeded out. Until they are replaced, the wages of the slackers are given to those remaining.

That is how my society works, not this world. Why? Because this world is filled with greedy, envious shysters who want the most for _themselves._ Because at the end of the day, the self is all they and, in fact, humanity ever cares about. And so, for these reasons, I do as I must do to in a genuine effort to see this world truly united and at peace."

Nicolette listened and nodded. After a moment, she said, "Remember the old comedian's words. 'The pursuit of peace is noble, but sadly, it will never be attained as a societal view out of willful choice.' Let me emphasize, the _pursuit_, dear sister, is noble. But remember that true peace comes in moments, in flashes, and so, it is best to cherish these moments and love them as they appear before you in your life."

Sylvia was heard to give a wry chuckle before she asked, "How was it masquerading as my sister's look-alike at the time?"

"It was okay. Jeremy was as you predicted he would be when you gave me his psychological breakdown. And sadly, even I have to admit, I've never seen a more covertly thirsty bastard for taint than the readings I got from him. That said, why did you have me blow the horn on him? I could have played the amnesiac out of the computer quite well. But you were particularly fervent on simply compromising Lyoko in the more conventional sense."

"That should be obvious. Because when Jeremy would have fired up Lyoko, my sister would have appeared, and frankly, had you been subject to an intensive grilling, you would have caved. It's was best to stick to my plan for that very premise alone. Yes, in theory, you could have explained what remained in Lyoko as very in-depth XANA remnant, but again, the risk didn't justify negating you as an asset, regardless of your ties back home."

"Oh, alright, then. I swear, when you lay out your plans in your head, there's no getting them out again for any revisions."

"Not usually, you're right. Because if I had to cater my vision to every Tom, Dick, and Harry out there, it's just endless busywork for days on end."

Nicolette nodded, "Alright, I'll see you later. I have to report for training."

"See you later, Talia," Sylvia replied.

Nicolette turned and looked at her, "Good evening, Herr Kommandant. By the way, what stupid moron gave me the name Taelia?"

"I gotta' blame Eddie for that one, sweetie. He thought the anagram was cute. I mean, only a stoner could come up with a stupid anagram like that."

Nicolette shook her head, "Whatever. And don't call me sweetie."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry. Goodnight, my crimson-haired alabaster Juliet."

"One more term like that, and I will punch you right in the throat."

Sylvia burst out laughing, "No wonder Odd found you a bit cold. You give the feeling of exchanging pleasantries with a wet blanket."

Nicolette looked shocked, "Look who's talking!"

"Whatever do you mean?"

Nicolette was about to rebut, but she changed her mind. "I'll see you in a few days."

Sylvia chuckled silently as Nicolette walked away, and as Nicolette disappeared, Sylvia resumed drinking her tea.

Meanwhile, Aelita and Jeremy arrived back at the Belpois house. Aelita was directed to the spare room, which was quite a decent size for a guest room. As Aelita sat down on the bed, she was grateful for how calming the place was. The room was painted in a lavender shade that was light enough to be considered light lavender but still having a calming effect on those who looked at it. The bed was soft and spacious, even though it was only a twin-size.

In many ways, Aelita knew there was a larger bed in another portion of the house, but as she more than knew about Ms. Belpois, the matriarch refused to take the risk of clandestine nocturnal activities. Additionally, to negate this, Emily had ensured that Aelita's proximity to her own room was easily within earshot. Aelita didn't overthink this initially, but when she reflected a more private moment she'd shared with Jeremy, it had made sense. Emily was the epitome of the cautious and concerned mother, and everything such a description entailed.

However, Aelita was at a slight loss, as was Jeremy, because the attack on Mercier had vaporized the belongings of practically every student there. This meant that Aelita, more than Jeremy, would have to make the most of an exceedingly small shopping spree that Emily was coordinating to supply her with clothes at least for the duration of the two-week visit. In many ways, Aelita was beginning to see the concern inherent in Jeremy's plan in making the most of his parent's hospitality. They were nice enough to guests, but not even Michael, kind as he was, wasn't all too eager to take on a lodger.

Aelita, therefore, picked up her phone and dialed Anthea's number. The phone rang, and Anthea picked up, _"Hello. How are you?"_

Aelita tried to find the right words, "Uh, well, how best to say it—um."

"_You could just be straightforward and save us both a good bit of time."_

"Okay, how's this? Mercier was essentially tactically destroyed by who I'm not entirely sure, but I have my suspicions. I am lodging with the Belpois for what I kinda' know will be no longer than two weeks because, well, we didn't plan on me being homeless. How's that?"

_"Okay, and so you, having no place to live and no one to genuinely claim you, you knock on my door seeking food, shelter, essentially the comforts of home befitting a teenager, correct?"  
_

"Uh, I didn't want to be as blunt as all that—"

"_Be that as it may, that is our situation. Alright, here is what's going to happen. Your boy-toy has haggled for you to stay for two weeks. I shall pick you up at the very end of two weeks. It will also be convenient for me because I'm in the phase of moving for right now. I must keep ahead of your dearly departed sister as well as ahead of my old paymasters. So, this call will end in twenty seconds. Quickly, what do you need, and I will send it to you via express." _

"Um, some clothes, uh soaps, literally, Mother the place was decimated, I have nothing."

_"Alright. You will get your clothes tomorrow and forgive me if the clothing is not to your taste; I'm pressed for time. Your soaps and so forth will follow the next day. Is that all?"_

"A—as far as I can think of, yes."

_"I'll send a care package in two days after your soaps arrive, and I am more conveniently settled."_

"Hold on before you go, let me give you the address of the Belpois—"

"_No need, I've known for the past two years. I'll see you in two weeks. Goodnight."  
_

The line went dead, and Aelita was genuinely surprised, "_She's on the run from Sylvia and her former bosses. But who did she burn for her employers to be turning on her? And—what the hell did she mean, my sister dearly-departed. Sylvia's not dead. This entire situation is like the front porch of the nut-house." _

Aelita went to Emily, who was downstairs, and she spoke, "Ms. Belpois, I have made arrangements with my mother to come and get me at the end of two weeks. After which, I will no longer be under your roof."

Emily looked surprised, "I didn't anticipate you acting so quickly. I'm not trying at all to run you off; it's just with this going on, it's hard for Michael and I to arrange time off of work to keep an eye on you both."

"With respect, Ms. Belpois, we're not exactly children. We don't have to be minded twenty-four seven."

"With respect, Ms. Stones, I know you aren't. You're teenagers and, in my view, cannot be trusted on your own under a general principle. Now, if I were truly a vindictive mother, raising Jeremy by the standard I was, the second I found you both had already slept together, both of you would be out on your asses as I was. However, this not being the case; you both are not out in the cold. But for the sake I know you two fuck like rabbits anyway, regardless of my stances, my standards are not something you adhere to on Kadic's campus, but you will for the two weeks you live under my roof. Do you understand?"

Aelita sighed lightly. "You're clear as crystal."

"Good. Now, I suggest you shower and get cleaned up. Fresh clothes will be laid out for you on your bed, and afterward, you may join us for an early dinner."

"Are you always this much of a hard-ass, or is this just who you are when you entertain guests of the young female persuasion? If this is every day, I can see why Jeremy always seems to have a predisposition of having an iron rod up his ass."

"You're all the same. You kids think you're so smart. Smart as you may be, the intelligent often lack wisdom. Answer this question, and I'll let you horndogs do whatever you want. Should I be faulted for wanting to take precautions against an unfortunate accident? An accident that, in the end, Michael and I would have to raise and nurture because Jeremey would be highly hesitant as you would be to take responsibility for the life potentially stemming from your actions.

If you two get pregnant before you get your lives in order, simply put, Jeremy will not have a penny to his name. Why? Because the nest egg we set aside for him to help him get a foothold in this world will go to feeding and clothing your bastard or bastards as the case is highly likely to be. So, if you want to make the most of your lives and _live_ life for a bit as opposed to walk through it in a constant drudge, have him keep his dick in his pants, and you close your legs until things are in order and the cards are indeed in your favor. The worst and most stupid wish of all was the child wishing to be an adult."

Emily sighed, and she headed to the fridge, "I can't tell you morons what to do at the end of the day. But if you are as smart as Jeremy says you are, take this thought with you, 'The prudent sees danger and hides, but the simple go on and suffer for it.' So, at the end of the day, which are you?"

Aelita was silent while she absorbed what was said as Emily looked at the unknowingly stunned look on her face. After a minute had passed, Emily said gently, "Now go, shower, get cleaned up. It will not do to have a guest uncomfortable before dinner."

Aelita shook her head, "Oh, a shower will help put me at ease? Why is everyone in my life feeling like a mystery wrapped in a haiku, further wrapped in a please and thank you?"

"Better you know the literal road ahead that would stem from your choice to heed me or not than have me blindside you. However, now you know the truth of the situation's weight, the ball is in your court, and you can no longer plead ignorance should you choose to persist in your machinations and activities. Now, kindly hurry along. I'd hate for your food to get cold."

Before going, Aelita asked, "May I have a towel and loofa if you have a spare?"

"Guest towels are in the bathroom—the ones with gold-fringed hems with matching washcloth. Should you need soap, there is your traditional soap in the third drawer beneath the sink on the right-hand side. A robe will be ready for you just outside the door in fifteen minutes."

Aelita asked, "Why such a precise time?"

"Fifteen minutes is the bare minimum necessary for a person regardless of gender, to be at least semi-decently clean. Men can usually get it to fifteen minutes flat. You, being a woman, allow a few allowances but only just."

Aelita smirked, "And if I decided to be impertinent and dare, I say impetuous?"

"Don't be facetious, Ms. Stones. However, to answer your question, I'll simply turn off the hot water on you."

Aelita shrugged and headed off to the shower. She dared not utter what was in her mind, "_Wow, just wow. What the hell was it like for Jeremy to grow up in this place? No wonder he is how he is. If my mother were this anal, I'd be a bit nutty too. Yeah, Ulrich, your father's a performance junkie and an ass, I admit, but after this, you owe Jeremy an apology. Hell, we all do."  
_


	66. Chapter 66

_**AN: Dear readers, I'm sorry for my late posting. I've just had some things I was going through, and I had a nasty habit I had to kick. However, the Lord has helped me with this chapter, and from it, I've learned a lot of lessons personally. The reading Aelita reads is taken without alteration from a volume entitled The Parables of Jesus by William Barclay. I, therefore, claim no credit for the work and is only there for story-telling purposes.  
**_

_**For those of you who do not care for such a segment, I understand. However, it only is to serve as a bit of character expansion regarding the Belpois family, which will be touched on the next chapter. One of these fleshing elements I believe essential is to add nuance to the Belpois family in terms of worldviews, interpretations, etc. And how amongst a family it can be very dividing. I am merely trying my best to illustrate at least the initial phases of the tension of these kinds hinted at in this chapter.  
**_

_**So, as always, read, review, and enjoy. I'll see you next chapter.**_

_**Pagliacci-11.**_

Chapter 66

Aelita woke, feeling fully refreshed. The dinner the night before was slightly tense; however, the food was second to none. The bed was immensely comfortable, and as she'd settled into bed, she noticed the eerie quiet of the Belpois house. It was so quiet that she could hear the telltale clicking of a deathwatch in the wall as it were just near her ear. It wasn't eerie, exactly, but it was a very unique quality that Aelita knew if something were to happen at night, it would quickly wake someone, if not the whole house. 

Looking over at her clock, Aelita was stunned to see it was half-past four in the morning. How? She'd gone to sleep at nine, but she'd felt as if she'd rested for much longer than that. Aelita sat up gently and turned on the nearby lamp as softly as she could. Aelita couldn't explain it, but she felt that she'd be shattering the calm if she traditionally turned on the lamp. As the soft light filled the room, Aelita took this time to look over the place she was in with a bit more dedication. There was a spacious bookshelf in the far right of the left wall, a horizontal white dresser along the same wall, the nightstand near her bed, which held a few books on the first shelf, but the primary part of the nightstand, closed by double-doors had been locked. 

Aelita got up and went over to the bookshelf, and she was more than relieved the soft carpeted floor underfoot rendered her unheard. As she looked over the books, she saw that some children's books were covered in a sizeable degree of dust. She found it a bit odd given the meticulously well-kept nature of the Belpois house. Aelita looked at the books on the second shelf and found these books were more oriented towards the theological and even satirical and philosophical perspectives therein. As Aelita saw, these were books from all manner of authors across this spectrum of thought. Among the names were Dietrich Bonhoeffer, William Graham, William Barclay, C.S. Lewis, Fredrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Aleister Crowley, and Immanuel Kant, to name a few. 

Aelita took one of the books by Nietzsche titled _Beyond Good and Evil._ As she opened the book, she saw clearly a woman's written in black ink. As she read, Aelita saw what she interpreted could only have been the woman's musings on the book's select themes. However, just a bit farther down from this set of handwriting was another set of handwriting in light blue ink. As Aelita read these sets of points, she saw the second set was utterly dismissive of the first set of notes. 

Aelita shook her head; she didn't have time or much care to delve into the family drama of the Belpois house at present. She simply wanted a book to read to pass the time of the early morning hours. As she began to read, she saw portions of passages underlined in. It wasn't so bad at first, but as she read, it became vastly irritating how many lines were underlined first then parenthesized in light blue. This interplay, this almost live play-by-play form of observation followed by objecting and counterpointing, became more than monotonous. 

Finally, sighing in disgust, Aelita got up and went to the other books on the shelf. Sadly, this issue was encountered repeatedly for seemingly every single book on this section of the shelf. Finally, to Aelita's relief, a book was not soiled by endless torrents of debate, it was a book called the _Parables of Jesus_ by William Barclay. The only writing that Aelita could see was a date on the table of contents, and even then, it was only a month and day of the month, mostly inconsequential. The chapters were also check-marked, and chapters two through four were circled in black ink with a small parentheses (Janet)-Me. This was the same hand, as was the original black ink of all the other books. 

So, as Aelita pieced it together, she was likely looking at a form of Sunday-School kind of checklist as one would see in the course of study. However, Aelita felt something in the book. It had been worn as if naturally worn down to where it opens automatically in a way to a specific section. Deciding not to fight it because it may have had some relevance, she decided to go ahead and proceeded to read the following.

"_Further, this parable teaches that the influence which changes men must come from the inside. Before any result could follow the leaven had to be inserted inside the dough. We live in an age which sets great store on external changes. We believe that if we can give men better houses and working conditions, we will make better men. It is true that the influence of the church must be with all efforts to improve the lot of men, but the fact remains that no man is changed until his heart is changed. _

_Nathaniel Hawthorne had a parable entitled "The Holocaust" In it he pictures a bonfire of all the evil things in the world. The devil is looking on and is naturally discouraged and worried. But in the end he brightens up. "I am not done yet," he said. "They have forgotten one thing—they have forgotten to throw in the human heart." It is not the primary function of Christianity to make new conditions, but to make new men and women. If that is done then new conditions will inevitably follow; but to start with the conditions is to put the cart before the horse."_

Aelita was greatly surprised as she read this. She turned the page and found it was the end of the chapter, so she went back to the chapter's beginning. If her assumptions were correct, parables, much like fables, were usually one dose affairs; so, the chapter would be brief but to the point. She turned back two pages and found the chapter beginning. Above, it was marked Dec. 7th. She read the chapter title, _Till the whole was Leavened._

As she read, Aelita was pleasantly surprised with the amazingly simple breakdowns of multiple themes within the simple premise of just one parable. However, what stopped her in her tracks was the following words,

"_It has been sometimes as a charge against Christianity that it was dope, "the opiate of the people," and that it taught men to endure things against which they should have rebelled. True Christianity, on the contrary, is always revolutionary." _

Aelita sighed, thinking, "_Technically, it's __**religion**_ _that was termed the opiate of the masses by Marx, but let's see where this goes." _

Aelita read further. She saw at the bottom of the page, three words written in black ink, "Moral, Social, Economic" Aelita look at the numbered revolutionary stances appropriately named, Moral, Social, and Economic stemming from Luke 1: 51-53.

"He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in their imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty."

Aelita read further, "_In these three verses are three revolutions which true Christianity is bound to carry out. _

_Moral Revolution: The proud are brought down. Christianity must begin by working a revolution within a man's own heart. It does that by making him see what he really is. Alcibiades, a wild and reckless young man, was a close friend, strangely enough of Socrates. But sometimes he used to say to Socrates, "Socrates, I hate you; for every time I meet you, you make me realize what I am." When a man meets Jesus Christ he cannot but compare his life with His life and the comparison can bring nothing but shame. We may think we play golf or tennis well; but if we go to see one of the masters, we know just how inadequate we are. _

_So when we set our lives beside the life of the Lord of all good life we know how far we come short. Further, when a man realizes the love of God in Christ and the lengths to which that love went, he cannot but be amazed that this was done for him. And he must then be filled with the desire to change himself until somehow he becomes worthy of a sacrifice like that. _

Aelita looked up and sighed as she thought about what she had just read, '_Socrates, I hate you; for every time I meet you, you make me realize what I am.' Is that why she is so damned sure of herself? Is that why she's so unforgiving? Because she thinks she knows what we are?"  
_

Aelita continued to read, "_Social Revolution: The mighty are brought low and those of low degree are exalted. This is because Christianity has no respect for the labels which the world attaches to a man. The world places a man according to the size of his bank account, the number of people he controls, his prestige in whatever field his work may happen to lie. Christianity rates a man by the service he renders to his fellow man. "Whoever would be first among you must be a slave to all." (Mark 10:44). The result is that the man whom the world accounts great may well be worthless in the Kingdom of God, while the man who appears of no standing in the world may well be the greatest. _

_In the old days of Russia, there was a nobleman who kept open house. Anyone who wished might come and sit as his table. A man's place at that table was decided by one simple test. When he arrived the nobleman would say, "Show me your hands." If the hands were toil-worn, the guest received a high place; but if they were soft and flabby, he was directed to the lowest seat. So, the test in the Kingdom is the test of service._

Aelita sighed and looked around. Seeing what she hoped was a notebook, she went over to the bookshelf. To her relief it was a notebook. The pages inside were blank, but the notebook had seen use as there were multiple pages torn out. Aelita saw there was a pen within, and she tested the pen with a gentle scribble and seeing it worked, began to write down her thoughts and questions.

Once she'd finished writing, Aelita decided to finish off the three revolutions and continued to read, "_Economic Revolution: The hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty. In the truly Christian state there would be such a feeling of responsibility that no one could bear to have too much while others had too little. _

_Branscomb, the American theologian, puts it this way, 'Business would be run not for its owners only but to support the needs of the community; no farmer would plough solely for financial gain but to feed a hungry world; no doctor or lawyer would practice for himself alone but to heal and help those in distress. Every work would be directed to the healing, the helping and the supplying of the spiritual and the physical needs of men. This would lend every task its glory; he would be the greatest who was the greatest servant of all." An economic revolution is the Christian aim.  
_

_It is then clear that if you take the leaven as a disturbing influence in the dough, this parable teaches the disturbing influence of Christianity on the life of the individual and the life of the world."_

Aelita had what she needed; Aelita felt she knew what she was dealing with now. She knew who she was dealing with, at least in theory. But she had to confirm her suspicions. As she wrote down her questions in the notebook, she saw gently written notes in the margins of the chapter's pages. Aelita sighed as she was progressively feeling tired and so she decided to save the further reading for later in the day.

Laying back, Aelita sighed and closed her eyes. She felt oddly at peace, and as she drifted off to sleep, Aelita felt for the first time, genuinely relaxed. She had found what she believed to be equally a grounding for Sylvia's reasons if their prior research was anything concrete but equally the weaknesses inherent in Sylvia's views. However, if she was to be genuinely sure, she had to talk to Sylvia personally.

As Aelita slept, she dreamed she laying down. She could only tell she was in a very unique room. The walls and ceiling made her feel as if she were inside a tent of black iron. Above her, two coils burned brightly on either side. They were almost identical to the squiggly formation of the compact fluorescent light bulb. However, their glow was much brighter and yet not irritating or harsh on the eyes.

Aelita thought, "_Where am I?" _

Sylvia's voice answered, "Hello, Sister, what do you wish to talk about?"

"_Wait, is this a dream?" _ Aelita asked.

"In the rudimentary sense, yes. But think of it more as a council of the minds. That's how I'd prefer it to be seen anyway."

"_H-How, is this possible?" _

"I'll save you a lot of time with a simple explanation. The past dreams we had together, while we talked, I formed a passive protocol within the psyche. Therefore, you'd never have to call me on the phone; you could just think of wanting to talk to me."

"So, what am I looking at? It's an odd place. Is this what your mind actually looks like?"

Sylvia chuckled, "No, it's not that Jungian. No, you are literally looking through my eyes at the interior of my room. "

"_Your room is a black-iron tent?" _

"Eh, yes and no. But enough about my choices of furnishings, what would you like to talk about?"

"_Okay, first question. Who was your father? I mean really, who was Johnathan Barrow?"_

"Johnathan Barrow was my father, as much of a father that he could be given the small window of time in which I was privileged to know him. His vocation was that of a technological innovator for various departments of state around the world. 

Much akin to your own father, he would not abide by the tyranny which was in store for us. To that end, he made North-Gate serve alongside XANA to keep the world safe from those who would genuinely try to enslave us all, and once they had learned all there was to know, we would be systematically slaughtered. Those who were preserved so dumbed down through enforced ignorance, they would be no more than maintainers of larger, more efficient entities." 

"_And the man we knew as John Barrow? You said yourself your father is dead; who was the John Barrow of Kadic?"_

"He was my agent. Sent there to keep an eye on all of you in the capacity of an active field agent. You and your family, as you call them, and a few other choice minds as well. If you could not be swayed to my view, I assure you, others would and indeed have answered me. Suffice it to say, the John you knew was a scout for me as well as a secondary analyst to keep track of our enemy's movements in and around Paris and its surrounding municipalities."

"_What is your purpose here?"_

"To bring about security for a new age of enlightenment free from the confines of the greed of the nations."

"_What is your moral code?" _

"Ideally to prevent the shedding of purely innocent blood while undertaking the purging of rot from all manner of systems of government."

"_You say ideally, why can you not be assured of this?" _

"Because the reality of life, let alone war, is unknowable in terms of what is to come, especially in the day-to-day." 

"_Why did you destroy Mercier?" _

"Why ask me what you already know, Aelita? You know why; deep in your heart, you know with absolute certainty."

"_So, I'm right, you are trying to flush out mother." _

"Oh, Aelita, is that all you think I see? I've moved beyond mother-dearest for now. She has fulfilled her primary purpose, as I knew she would. She has led me to the nest, and I know the nest's crucial cell where the young are nursed and nurtured. Your mother is but a drone, even that is too high, she's a scout. The truth is, mother didn't lie to you when she was rushed. She's running for her life, but not from me. So, while she runs around, I know from the feedback from her former masters, just how massive a blow I have landed."

"_Just how does that equate? Mother being on the run tells you just how big a blow you've dealt? How?"  
_

"Because Mother has transcended the ranks. She has become of the Labyrinth, a group that is leagues above her former masters. However, because she has been selected by them, her former masters of Decay simply wish to cauterize any dripping loose ends. What you'd do well to remember, Mother is very much in the big leagues now. However, Decay doesn't wish to lose such an asset; and so, they are hunting her as we speak."

"_Why don't you try and help her? In your practicality, have you forgotten making your enemy indebted to you?"_

"Not at all, Sister. However, your request is what, in the eyes of North-Gate, would be a high conflict of interests. Besides, I have no immediate benefit in safeguarding Mother. I have some sizeable fish to fry at present, and I'd prefer to cripple them before dealing with her anyway. Better to be thorough as a contemplative Hercules as opposed to the recklessly impulsive Icarus wishing to test the limits to one's detriment." 

"_So, you're going to leave her to be hunted like a doe against a pack of wolves?!"_ Aelita burst out angrily.

"Hush—hush, child, hush. What you need to understand is this path for mother was predestined. She wished for advancement, she wanted a proper weighty and tangible form of raw power; Mom got what she wanted and everything that goes with it. She has made a career as a professional bureaucrat with field experience. She's precisely what Labyrinth has desired. 

Unfortunately, much like any company, Decay will destroy her. They see her as an operational liability. From that, where mother held formerly of worth to them in the neighborhood of some seven-hundred and sixty million, they see losing her to Labyrinth like losing eight and a half billion. She simply knows too much, as did your father before you and mine before me. In the eyes of Decay, this is simply damage and quality control, no more, no less.

Aelita was silent a moment, and she asked, "_So, what are you going to do now?" _

"Nothing. Your brain-box Jeremy was right; I'm simply testing response times. And despite how you may feel a strong inclination to reveal my lack of action to Mother to save her skin, it won't do her any good. Mother has become an inconvenient outlier to Decay. Much like hostage negotiation, even if you give the psychos what they want, they kill you anyway or end you, provided they can't stall you long enough to land a kill-shot. Much like all forms of currency, the information you'd give mother to give to Decay is nothing more than a promissory note, a glorified I.O.U."

"_You're assuming an awful lot, you know that, right?"_

"Maybe. Or it's just an understanding of human nature. There's nothing quite as strong between a mother's love for her son, a daughter to her father. Acknowledging that you genuinely have no other living relations save for your mother, well, it makes the bond between you all the more potent. It would be only natural for you to want to save her. 

That said, I'm telling you realistically what the powers that be will do should you decide to use the information I've given you. You will be used to find me. Despite how you may protest otherwise and even think it, I tell you the truth. They will use you as a conduit to find me to which I'd sadly have to sever our connection, which may or may not result in your termination. That said, I say may or may not because we have not entirely fixed all the bugs yet. 

So, bearing all this in mind, honestly, little love, you'd do best to hold your tongue. And unlike Jeremy, where you can feel justified to scream that I forced you into a situation if you actively go against my advice despite knowing what will be, the deaths that stem from your decision _will_ be on you."

Aelita felt her blood burn within her, and she screamed, "_How can you be so very certain of what will come, of what will be?! I'm sorry, but ever since I've met you, your voice rings and has always rung of such arrogance, such presumption! You dare tell men and women what you believe they are and yet dare to teach them how to be! Do you expect me to simply stand by letting you throw out the baby with the bathwater? I will not!"_

"All I have done is tell you the truth of what is to transpire should you wish to warn your mother. I do not threaten you, Aelita, I issue you a warning. I know what will come. How truly tragic would it be if the fate of your world as you knew it stemmed from your choice, right here and now? I have given you a choice to inform or not. Not because I want to but because I must. You will either hear me, or you will not. Believe me, or you will not. You scream and scream, you are forced into choices—that's just life. I am giving you the tools to make an informed decision, now which will it be? Your verbal answer is not required. What you _do_ will decide the outcome."

_"How could you possibly know the future?! You said we cannot know what tomorrow brings! How dare you say you know what is to be? Even if you must present me this choice, why present it if you are so genuinely reluctant to present it?"  
_

Suddenly there was a strange form of distortion, a high-pitched hum, and Aelita saw Sylvia's vision enter all manner of distortion. Suddenly, Aelita felt a sudden force on her chest. It was not harsh or cruel, but there was a force as if a mighty phantom hand had suddenly gently but firmly pressed down, forcing her to gasp for air, her eyes shot open. She was awake, the had fully risen, and the pale fiery sphere was in the mid-horizon. Fitting as it was half-after six. Despite this conversation, Aelita felt a bizarre sense of fully being rested. 

Back at North-Gate, Sylvia got up, and she gently whispered, "What did I do wrong?" 

The gentle voice replied firmly, "_You have told her what she needs. You will do no more."_

"What if she doesn't believe me?"

"_She either will, or she won't. You are not in control of that." _

Sylvia nodded, and soon a gentle series of beeps sounded. She looked over at a nearby monitor, seeing the holograms of eight ships. Sylvia groaned as she stretched, "Well, the markets are open." She said to herself as she walked towards the terminal.

At Decay's headquarters, the gentle ring of the telephone in Samuel Moore's office continued to ring. Samuel was beyond tired. His eyes were entirely bloodshot; he'd just finished what must have been his sixth cup of coffee out of his oversized Texas mug since the whole shitshow began. He had been talking to finance officers, security overseers, portions of the investors from Mercier had left Decay lock, stock, and barrel taking central monetary struts of support with them. 

After seeing and hearing the money leave Decay like rats from a sinking ship, he was in an extreme state of raw shock. Samuel was so off-kilter that his head was vibrating, his eyes swimming, he felt as if he were going to collapse. In many ways, Samuel had the utmost reason to feel this way. So very much of this disaster happened under his watch, under his division. He'd tried his best to plug the holes, but the damage, first in Bangkok, then later with Mercier, and then finally at the processing plant, there was no way he could come back from this. He knew he was finished. 

Equally, given the silent competitive hostilities with Labyrinth Complex, he knew those stockholders would be dancing a jig; one or two, especially due to their own sour history with Sam. He knew the whole thing stank of subterfuge. So much was given in terms of precision strikes, but something else bothered Sam. He knew that Akiko Ishiyama was only one insider; there had to be more for the simple fact that Akiko only had access to Bangkok's location and baseline functions. Akiko wasn't big enough of a fish to have access to the processing plant's location, let alone the dossier of Mercier's students and stockholders; the dossier being the only genuine incentive to attack Mercier in the first place.

Sadly, it did not matter, not anymore. Samuel knew the process of those above him. Failure was not acceptable, and any semblances of failure, as was custom, thoroughly erased from people to accounts. It was just as it was with Carthage when Samuel had first started out. It, too, had been dissolved, turned into Decay after it had been finished. Enough failures, especially of this magnitude, Decay also would take a new face just as Carthage had been birthed out of a former project named Eternal Vanguard. Vanguard had been birthed in turn from another project called Narwhal, derived itself from the original father of these programs, MKUltra. 

Looking outside at the rising sun, Samuel sighed; getting up from his chair, he went over to his prime-deluxe selection of liquors. He had amassed an extensive collection. Many had diplomas, certificates, medals, and badges for their marks of distinction in the workforce. Samuel had opted for as he termed his collection, "the utmost form of distinguished pedigree one can ever have." His collection had been built over the last twenty-five years commemorating his promotions and advances in Decay's business sectors. For years, he was heralded as one of the foremost minds of labor negotiation and financial innovation in the face of crisis. Everything about him bled quality, so much, in fact, he had become renowned for the elegant yet profoundly humble gravitas with how he had conducted himself.

This perception of humbleness was no mistake in Samuel's mind. Truth be told, it was not even a genuine virtue of the man himself. Instead, Samuel had simply embraced one of the more inconvenient truths of the world, namely that as one rises in fame and distinction for whatever reason, the need to serve as a doer to those in power kept him in power and kept him fed. 

Samuel knew his bosses loved his ability to rise to the challenge of impending financial adaptations that would have crippled Decay, his ability to bend the law by working within it without breaking it. They also loved his ability to soothe and placate even the most reputed stubborn labor sectors with their unions. Oh yes, in the eyes of Decay, he had done superbly. However, his skill in the face of North-Gate's escalation meant nothing now. Decay was genuinely hemorrhaging money quicker than they could recover, and nothing would save Samuel from the inevitable "performance evaluation."

Samuel gave an exasperated sigh as he contemplated which liquor should be his final drink within his office, for he knew he would never see it again. Samuel then said aloud, "Fuck it." Going to a far corner on his office's east wall, he opened a panel and brought out his most sacred treasure. He wept as he looked at the articles before him. The truth was he had no regrets; what many demanded he regret, Samuel took as a badge of fortitude to do what others lacked the courage to do. 

Samuel locked his office door and, taking the objects, sat down at his crystal-topped coffee table. In the past, the coffee table had hosted so many breakfast and afternoon get-togethers in a campaign to adapt and advance Decay to its utmost. That was the past; ages ago, it now felt to him. Samuel took the first object, an ice-cold bottle of Cristal champagne, and poured it. The second, a wedge of cake from his high-school graduation that his mother had kept until she had passed. The third object was his grandfather's Colt M1911 from his service in Italy.

Samuel thought, "In the face of certain death, what better last meal than the taste of bygone joyous times and an almost sublime dreamlike memory?"

Suddenly a knock was heard at his door a gentle young voice, "Mr. Moore, I have your economic report from the Australian Sector."

Samuel looked over at the door, "Don't worry, little lady. They aren't needed anymore. Take the day off, Marie."

The door was shattered with a terrible sound, and Samuel looked over as he saw Maria step forward with four masked men in jet black uniforms. 

Maria shouted out the command, "Subdue him!"

The men rushed Samuel, who immediately went for his gun, but Maria was faster on the draw, firing two pellets in Samuel's face, which erupted in a small green mist. The feeling of the mist intensely burned Samuel's eyes as the noxious smell forced him to gasp in disgust. But this was all that was needed as his balance was thrown entirely off, and he fell forward, one of the masked men catching him. 

"Target has been incapacitated." Maria replied, "Moving to the extraction point." 

Frankie replied, "_Affirmative. Evac arriving in fifteen seconds." _

Maria looked at the men, "Move down the janitor's corridor, down the freight elevator to the garage. One of you bring the cake and the champagne." 

Within no time at all, the group made their way unseen towards a waiting cable utility in the garage. Once they had deposited Samuel inside, Frankie asked, "What about Sitting Bull?"

"He's scrubbing all building footage to be sure we're not traced." Maria replied, "We're set to rendezvous near the bath."

Frankie nodded and eased the gas pedal down, leaving the building premises smoothly. Four blocks down, they stopped on the side in a narrow alley of a Turkish bath, and after an additional fifteen minutes, a knock was heard at the van door. Maria checked outside and opened it to reveal Jacob Sanford. 

"The servers were scrubbed." He said, getting in, "Whatever they had on us, is no more." 

"Good. Alright, off to see the good doctor, Frank." Maria said, and Frankie once more eased the gas pedal, and they moved through the alley onto an adjoining side street before turning onto the road that lead of Paris.


End file.
